Ensure interfaith marriages can continue to take place in Gurdwaras (Sikh Temples) in the UK.

Many Sikhs (let alone non-sikhs) will not even be aware of the subtle and yet seismic changes being proposed by the Sikh Council and other more conservative Sikh organisations in eliminating interfaith marriages from occurring in Gurdwaras all across the UK.

Anand Karaj (Sikh Wedding) has for hundreds of years not been restricted to any one faith and the openness and love that Sikhi has towards seeing all as one and the same in the eyes of God has long been respected and acknowledged by British society. Never has Sikhi been exclusivist. However, this moderate and open nature of Sikhi is being put at risk in the UK by the agenda of the few louder and more forceful conservative Sikh people who by disrupting peoples' marriages at Gurdwaras have created an atmosphere of panic and fear in the Gurdwara committees'. The Sikh Council has sought to address this by giving in to the views of the protestors and creating a process that will effectively mean interfaith marriages (Anand Karaj) can no longer occur.

The Sikh Council who are made up largely of middle aged Sikh men have not consulted the wider Sikh community. They have also failed to take into account objective census data which shows that interfaith and interracial marriages are an increasing trend in Asian communities. Anyone now wishing to marry a Sikh in an Anand Karaj ceremony in the Gurdwara must declare and affirm the following:

1. I am a Sikh, that I believe in the tenants of the Sikh faith and I owe no allegiance to any other faith. (this will rule a whole host of people out that still wish to follow their own religion and yet believe in Sikhi and Gurus and respect fully their future spouse's religion).

2. The Anand Karaj ceremony is the only religious ceremony that I will take part in for marriage (this will rule out a whole host of people that still wish to honour the wishes of 50% of the new couples family. Hardly a fair and balanced approach being imposed by Sikhi on 50% of a family. Besides, how exactly will this be enforced?).

3. I will endeavour to bring up any children from my marriage as Sikhs, to include in their name Singh (for male) or Kaur (for female), to teach them Punjabi and the tenants of the Sikh faith. (It is understandable that there there may be some requests on the couple prior to getting married but to also impose on the couple to declare that their children will have to be brought up Sikh doesn't sound like a Sikh principle at all. It takes no account of different cultures or traditions where this type of requirement makes it completely impossible to agree to, such as the cultures which take on the faith of their father / mother. Also since when is it a requirement for Sikhs to include Singh and Kaur in their names unless they are taking baptism - there are many Sikhs without these.)

4. I will adopt Singh (for male) and Kaur (for female) in my name and provide evidence to show this - for those of non-Sikh origin only (Besides the administrative burden this will place on couples legally, since when is it a requirement for Sikhs to include Singh and Kaur in their names unless they are taking baptism - there are many Sikhs without these names.)

The fact of the matter is that there is nothing Sikh about imposing restrictions on two people that love each other and which to be Wed by the Guru in a Gurdwara which is open to all. We might as well be asking people to convert to Sikhi before getting married. Rather, interfaith and interracial marriages should be welcomed and who is someone outside of the couple to impose on the couples' own personal spiritual journey. Let that be between them and the Guru and celebrate that someone is so touched by their partner's love for their faith that they too will take part in the religous ceremony. There is nothing in the Laavan (wedding scriptural passages) nor the Guru Granth Sahib Ji (Sikh Scripture and Guru) that suggests that you need to adhere to any types of labels to be a 'real Sikh'. The whole pretence of suggesting someone is or isn't 'Sikh' enough is a fallacy of the greatest proportions and it is the internal being of a person and their connection with that which is infinitely greater that is only subjectively knowable.

In all Sikh weddings almost without fail there will be reference to a scriptural line which says: "They are not said to be husband and wife, who merely sit together. Rather they alone are called husband and wife, who have one soul in two bodies." (Guru Amar Das, Pauri, pg. 788). It is time for us to practice this teaching now more than ever for when one soul belongs to two bodies, who is to say which is 'Sikh' and which is 'non-Sikh'. It's time to drop the labelling and focus on the true essence of Sikhi which is that of openness to all regardless of caste, colour, creed, religious labels or any other label.

PLEASE SIGN AND SHARE THIS PETITION so that we can try to prevent Sikhi from being driven by a purely conservative agenda and to get Sikh Council to rethink the dogmatic approach being imposed on those choosing to marry in a Gurdwara.

- If you believe Sikhi should remain open and generous to all of society then sign.
- If you believe Sikhi is more important than religious labels then sign.
- If you wish your children to have the opportunity to have a beautiful Anand Karaj ceremony regardless of who they fall in love with then sign.
- If you want to show the moderate voice of Sikhi and show those that are disrupting people's weddings in the a place of worship that they are not the only people with a voice to be heard then sign.
- Ultimately, if you are a Sikh or Non Sikh who thinks interfaith marriages in a Gurdwara should be allowed then please sign.