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NEWS March 5, 2003 Global -- As the SGPC
keeps dragging its feet on the issue of Sikh women's right to perform
seva at the Harmandir Sahib, the movement continues to garner support
and build momentum. To date there are at least three on-line petitions on this issue. The earliest one is probably the "Seeking Equal Opportunity for Sikh Women in Panthic Seva." It currently has over 1800 signatures from Sikhs around the world. Another petition that went online recently was one started by the human rights group Voices For Freedom. The "Enforce Sikh Women's Right to do Seva at Harmandir Sahib, Amritsar" petition is focusing on garnering support from Sikh organization. Many well-known Sikh organizations have signed
on to the VFF petition: The Sikh Secretariat, SWA, The Sikh Coalition,
United Sikhs, and SMART, just to name a few. The latest to sign the petition
are The Shiromani Akali Dal, Amritsar, the American Gurudwara Parbhandak
Committee (AGPC) and the 3HO (Sikhnet) organization. Jagmohan Singh, general secretary of the
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), spoke with VFF and stated that "SAD is
an ardent supporter of equal rights for women." Jagmohan Singh also
said that his party endorses the petition and will work with Mejindarpal
Kaur and Lakhbir Kaur, the two British-Sikh women who were recently forcefully
denied the opportunity to do seva, to make an appeal to the Akal Takht
and the SGPC by initiating an awareness campaign. Simranjit Singh, president of SAD, also raised the issue of equal rights for women in a speech presented at the Akal Degree College for Women in Sangrur, India on March 3, 2003. The American Gurudwara Parbhandak Committe
(AGPC), an umbrella organization representing 30 Gurudwaras in North America,
has also endorsed the VFF petition to uphold the rights of women to do
seva at Harmandir Sahib. AGPC's President Yadwinder Singh told VFF,
"This is not even a matter of discussion. The Sikh Gurus gave these
rights 500 years ago. Keeping the Rehat Maryada in mind, women have the
right to do Palki Sahib seva, or for that matter, any kind of seva, in
all Gurdwaras around the world." The 3HO organization (Sikhnet) has also
signed the VFF petition. While the VFF petition is focusing on garnering
support from organizations, Ek Ong Kaar Kaur of 3HO has innitiated a similar
petition, "Sikh
Women to Perform Seva at Golden Temple," on their web site for
individuals to sign up. That petition has over 4000 signatures. The plea of the nineteen organizations and
almost 5800 individuals who have signed the petitions is for the SGPC
to unconditionally and immediately implement gender equality as prescribed
by the Guru Granth Sahib so that Sikh women may undertake all seva at
the Harmandir Sahib and all other Sikh religious institutions. |