Inter Faith Sikh Marriage Stopped by Thugs
Reports are beginning to surface of how a group of men have stormed a Sikh temple in a bid to stop an inter-faith marriage. The couple were then forced to cancel their wedding day.
Members of the Sri Guru Singh Sabha Gurdwara, in Southall, said the final preparations were underway when the men arrived.
Sohan Singh Sumra, vice-president of the temple, explained how a group of up to 22 people arrived shortly after 8am.
“They were all thugs,” he added. “None of them were recognised by any of the Sikh groups here.
“It was because it was a mixed marriage…they just came here to spoil it and intimidate us.
“I’ve been in this temple since 1994 and I’ve never seen this sort of thing,” Mr Sumra said. “We will always listen to people’s suggestions but there was no reasoning with them. It was a sad day.
“We are living in this country and we work with couples – if they are happy we’re fine with it – Sikhism is a liberal religion,” he added, despite acknowledging the existence of “splinter groups”.
“We had a meeting with local temples on Saturday because we don’t want anything like that happening to any other couples.”
Sunny Hundal, a freelance journalist, had reported the incident saying the behaviour was unacceptable.
“I’m raising (this issue) because I want people to realise what is happening under our noses before it gets too late,” he wrote, saying wedding “disruptions”, were becoming increasingly common.
“This gang-mentality puritanism will end up with the Sikh version of the Taliban and destroy the community. Don’t tolerate it.”
Last year, the Sikh Council has issued guidelines on interfaith marriages. Havelock Gurdwara in Southall, where the incident happened, is now considering hiring private security.
