The arrest of 55 people protesting at a Gurdwara in a row over inter-faith marriages in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, on September 11 has been denounced by British-Sikh groups.
The group of “masked men” carrying weapons (many of which were ceremonial knives) were arrested on suspicion of aggravated trespass, Warwickshire Police confirmed.
The incident at Tachbrook Drive began around 6.45am on Sunday and lasted for eight hours.
The Sikh Federation UK (SFUK) has asked Warwickshire Police to apologise for its “disproportionate” response to reports that a group carrying blades and wearing masks had forced their way into Leamington Gurdwara.
The SFUK said the men had entered the Gurdwara to protest an inter-faith marriage being carried out as a Sikh religious ceremony.
Former treasurer Jatinder Singh Birdi said that a marriage between a Sikh and a non-Sikh was to take place when the men staged the protest against the ceremony.
Warwickshire Police were called to the Sikh temple after after 6.45am on Sunday. They sent armed officers as they believed the 55 men were carrying “bladed items”. Police arrested the 55 men on suspicion of aggravated trespass, seized ceremonial blades and one non-ceremonial weapon.
Superintendent David Gardner said that armed police officers were deployed as a “precaution” due to reports that the protesters were carrying bladed weapons, which were initially not thought to be ceremonial Kirpans carried by Sikh men. He confirmed that the incident had been contained and that it was an “escalation of a local dispute”.
Secretary general of the Sikh Council UK, Gurmail Singh, said the protest took place because the marriage ceremony was reserved for two Sikhs, but an inter-faith marriage was performed in the Gurdwara.
Gurjeet Singh from the Sikh Federation UK said that while a Sikh is free to marry a non-Sikh, he does not believe this should be done through a Sikh religious ceremony in a Gurdwara.
The Sikh Federation UK has also accused the Leamington Gurduwara management of providing “false and fabricated information” to the police to get the marriage protesters arrested.
Two groups Sikh 2 Inspire and Sikh Youth UK said they were merely staging a peaceful protest. They claim the wedding violated a consensus in the community to not allow Gurdwaras to host inter-faith marriages.
There have reportedly been tensions in the community over the last couple of years about permissions being granted to hold inter-faith weddings in the Gurdwara.
The protest and subsequent arrests have reignited a debate among the Sikh community about mixed marriages in Gurdwaras.
The Guardian said it was the third or fourth time in recent months that a group of men had attempted to gain entry into the Gurdwara over the issue of mixed marriages.
The Gurdwara committee’s decision to call the police and the subsequent arrests have sparked sharp reactions on social media. Some have backed the protests on religious grounds, while others strongly objected to disrupting mixed marriages.
Speaking to Asian Voice Dr Rami Ranger CBE, Chairman of the The British Sikh Association, said: "I totally oppose the actions taken by my fellow Sikhs in Leamington Spa Gurudwara which has resulted in adverse publicity for our faith. No one can ever stop the wedding of two people who are in love. However, what some can achieve is a loss of revenue to the Gurdwara and unnecessary hurt to so many who were looking forward to the happy occasion.
"The fact of the matter is that people come to Gurudwaras to pay their respect to the Sikh Gurus and if they are shunned, then they will turn their backs on Gurudwaras along with their families and friends. Their actions have put a tolerant and modern faith in a bad light and as a result, many will think Sikhs are intolerant people.
"The Sikh faith, in fact is based on interfaith teachings. Our holy book Guru Granth Sahib contains teachings of not only Sikhs but also Hindu and Muslim holy men as a mark of respect to every faith."
He continued: "The founder of the Sikh faith, Guru Nanak Dev Ji was always accompanied by two disciples. One Hindu, Bhai Bala and the other a Muslim Bhai Mardana. Not once he imposed his religion upon them and instead, he advocated that if one was Muslim, then one should become a good Muslim, and if one was a Hindu then one should be a good Hindu and so on.
"Guru Nanak further said that God was not interested in religious labels. Instead, God was more interested in the actions and deeds of an individual. The irony is that Sikh Gurus fought all their lives and paid supreme sacrifices along with their families and followers to uphold the rights of individuals to connect with their maker as they deemed fit and here we have some of their followers desperately trying to take that right away from people. Their actions are totally incompatible with the teachings of the Sikh Gurus."
photo courtesy: Guardian
