Namaskaram Ronki ji
Here are some links r.e Sikh-non Sikh strains
The British Sikh men trying to prevent inter-faith marriages
As a Hindu myself I can understand why a Hindu would convert to Sikhism: the philosophy and principles which are unity of all religions and serving and defending those in need regardless of faith. However, why would a Sikh convert as most see Hinduism as polytheistic. What do Sikhs pray to at Hindu Mandir?
thank you for the interesting links , ....I think we have a problem here which is more cultural than it is religious , .....I quote from one artical , .....
''But not Sim Kaur. One of the very few Sikh women willing to speak about her experience, she says: “Our gurdwaras are run by men and the protesters are all men. All the cancellations I’ve heard about have been of Sikh women marrying non-Sikh men or men not born into the Sikh religion and I doubt that’s a coincidence. I do believe it’s a faith issue, but it’s also about gender and race.”
As you know it is indian culture that the bride addopts the customs and cultural behaviors of the groom , this I assume is equaly true amongs Sikhs ? .... particuarly Punjabi Sikh's many of whom I have met seem to share very simmilar expextations that the Bride follow the Husbands instructions and his religious affiliations , ..they are thinking that this is important because the children will then be brought up in the same way , ....
I think there are many problems here in the UK where both Hindus and Sikh'sare affraid of loosing their cultural identities , on onehand thwy want to be a part of western society but on the other they want to preserve their own values.
I can only say that this would be much like a parent fearing that if her child were to marry an atheist that both that child and any future offspring would loose their sence of religosity and become materialy absorbed .
the Girl interveiwed stressed that these objections raised were over instances of women marrying out of the tradition ,
a strict Hindu may also be worried about this as the woman then traditionaly enters the family of the groom and is under the direction of the grooms family , therefore there is allways question of the upbringing of the children as they will be brought up in the faith of the Grooms family , ....this is not nececarily so in this country as now many marriages are by choice therefor there would be mutual agreement about the education of children , ..but still to a faith comunity this will inevitably cause concerns .However stoping marriage ceremonies with threats of violence does suggest some deeper undercurrent of fear .
I had freinds in Coventry and at one time there was quite a bit of cross cultural violence , this says more about the fear indemic in society and the ignorance as to the true purport of our respective faiths
