Article Added On: January 27, 2005 - over 7 years ago
Title: Same-sex marriage
Author: RAMANDEEP KAUR GREWAL and T. SHER SINGH
Publication: The Globe and Mail
Publication Date: January 01, 2005 - over 7 years ago
Faith Groups: Sikh
Themes: same sex marriage/blessing

Abstract: Due to the highly emotional nature of the same-sex debate, many people have been misled or have misunderstood the issue, write two prominent Sikh Canadians in Ontario. Ramandeep Kaur Grewal, a Toronto lawyer and executive member of the Sikh Centennial Foundation, and T. Sher Singh, a Guelph lawyer and a trustee of The Sikh Foundation International, say the man who issued an edict firmly condemning same-sex marriage is not the spiritual head of Sikhdom and has no religious authority over the global Sikh community.

Thursday, Jan 27, 2005

An alarming "edict" recently issued in India from Sikhdom's Akal Takht in Amritsar has firmly condemned same-sex marriage, saying the Sikh code of conduct does not allow such marriages. What is the hullabaloo in India all about?

The statement, purportedly to influence the same-sex debate in Canada, was issued by Giani Joginder Singh Vendanti, the jathedar, or head representative, of the Akal Takht. He said same-sex marriage is a trend that has no place in the Sikh religion.

But this man is not the spiritual head of Sikhdom and has no religious authority over Sikhs, whether they live in Canada or India or anywhere else in the world.

It seems that some people in Canada have taken advantage of a situation that is essentially a Canadian domestic issue about the interpretation of Canada's laws, and tried to exploit it to advance their own agendas, political or otherwise.

Our concern is that ill-founded and rushed statements made by Canadian politicians who otherwise have no understanding of religious principles only manage to divert attention from the real issues and actually undermine the political process.

Hence, the need for these clarifications:

The Akal Takht is the highest seat of temporal