"The head of a Birmingham Sikh temple and his family had to flee their home after
it was targeted by arsonists in what is believed to have been been a reprisal
attack for allowing a mixed marriage.
Three cars were set ablaze outside the Handsworth Wood home of Jarnail Singh Bhogal, president of the Ramgharia Sikh Gurdwara in Graham Street, Hockley. The attack in the early hours of yesterday comes in the wake of protests against the marriage, the details of which were posted on an online Sikh forum naming the temple leaders.
The website referred to a marriage between a Sikh woman and a man of another religion and called on Sikhs to protest outside the Gurdwara yesterday against "this disgraceful act".
It also demanded the resignation of Mr Bhogal and warns Gurdwara leaders there will be consequences if they allow mixed marriages.
According to the Gurdwara temple, however, the man involved in the marriage converted to Sikhism before the ceremony. Cars parked in the driveway of Mr Bhogal's house on Vernon Avenue were fire-bombed at about 3.30am yesterday.
Mr Bhogal said: "I woke up and there was a big bang and an orange light or flash. I opened the curtains and saw my three cars on fire so I asked the kids and my wife to get out and go in the garden and called the fire brigade."
A spokesman for the Ramgarhia Sikh Temple said: "The girl was a Sikh and the boy voluntarily changed his name to a Sikh name and promised to adopt the values of Sikhism.
"Committee members were incorrectly targeted based on vicious rumours which led to the horrific incident where three cars were burnt."The attack is the latest in a series of controversies which have hit the city's Sikh community. Last month more than 100 Sikhs protested outside the Indian Consulate in Birmingham against a cult leader publishing "anti-Sikh propaganda".
In a separate incident, a 44-year-old was stabbed during the Sikh Vaisakhi celebrations in Birmingham in April. Four men have already been charged with attempted murder over the incident."
Personally I cant' believe that something like this might happen. Sikhism is the most open-minded religion... (that's what I thought)...I've been married in the simple gurdwara in Amritsar and no one opposed to gora being married in the Holy city ...people were happy... So why thing like this are happening? What's your opinion?Is it racists? Inhumane?Is it forbidden to marry out of religion? Someone decided to become Sikh..is it bad? There are many white and black Sikhs in the world who follow Sikh way of life better than some real Sikh who were born into Sikhi, who cut their hair, forget their identities...
Look at this link about white Sikhs: http://desilegend.blogspot.com/2008/02/white-sikhs-have-you-ever-seen-them.html or http://desilegend.blogspot.com/2008/01/gora-sikh.html
If you are interested in this topic please click here to read opposite opinion on forum forums.waheguroo.com
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