Party Hall Planned on Central California Gurdwara Property
Wednesday 20th of December 2006
Panthic Weekly News Bureau
Livingston, California (PW) - A Gurdwara Sahib in a rural central California town that plans to build a party hall where liquor, meat, and dancing would be allowed, is receiving widespread condemnation from local neighbors and Panthic organizations.
Concerned community members raised an alarm that the management was planning to divert the Gurdwara's land, money, and resources to fund a center for anti-Sikh activities.
According to local media sources, over 2000 signatures from local Sikh and non-Sikh residents have been gathered in opposition to the project.
The planned extension is stated to cost over $3 million. It would include a reception hall with a stage, and a bar to serve Alcohol. The consumption of alcohol and meat, along with dancing are all prohibited activities on Gurdwara properties.
M. Singh, a representative of The Respect for Guru Granth Sahib Campaign (R4G) North America, condemned the committee's proposal, and requested the Sangat and local community to strongly reject it. "The individuals proposing are ignorant of the Sikh religion. They cannot differentiate between the Punjabi culture and the Sikh culture, so they are attempting to import the social ills of the Punjabi culture into our Gurdwaras."
"Those who want to defile Gurdwaras by turning them into party halls, and pubs, need to be ousted from Gurdwara management. They are doing a disservice to our community, and should be dealt accordingly", declared Singh.
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