B.C. Human Rights Tribunal gives Ravidassia gurdwara special protection
A recent decision of the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal highlights some complex clashes within the Sikh community. The B.C. Human Rights Tribunal dismissed a complaint by two members of the Canadian community who were denied membership in a Burnaby gurdwara because of their caste.
But it’s not what you think. The men who were refused membership did not belong to a caste that was historically disadvantaged, but instead, were jats. And the group who did the refusing were the historically discriminated-against Ravidassia.
Gurshinder Sahota and Sohan Shergill said they were discriminated against by the Shri Guru Ravidass Sabha Temple because they belong to a higher caste in the traditional system of social ranking than do temple members… The 900 members of the Shri Guru Ravidass Sabha Temple belong to the lowest group, Dalits, formerly referred to as “untouchables” and often considered outside the caste system altogether. Sahota and Shergill are from the jat caste, which is traditionally a land-owning class in the Punjab and now makes up much of Metro Vancouver’s Sikh community. [link]
Vancouver’s Ravidassia community celebrated the decision, affirming their right to protection from the greater Sikh community.
The decision, released this week, was hailed as an affirmation of temple members’ right to gather as a “minority within a minority,” said spokesman Jai Birdi. “Since the decision has come out, the members are feeling quite empowered by it,” he said. “They’re feeling that this really reinforces their ability to come together as a marginalized community from India to talk about their heritage and historical unresolved issues and come up with some strategies for moving forward.” He added that the complainants are welcome to attend the temple’s religious ceremonies and social programs. [link]
Considering the treatment that the Ravidassi community has historically been meted, I understand that they might feel threatened by other castes, even in Canada, where shades of caste discrimination surface when it comes to matters of marriage, or treatment at other gurdwaras. But is refusing membership, though allowing entrance to services, really the answer? The responsibility to be inclusive lies on advantaged Sikhs, and this might be a situation where the personal politics of the individuals who wanted membership played a role (can anyone shed more light on this), but instinctively, I would hope for an inclusive attitude from the Ravidassi community as well.
“Our vision is that one day the community’s confidence will increase to the point that they are not feeling oppressed . . . and then there will no longer be a need to restrict membership,” he said. The Shri Guru Ravidass Sabha Temple was formed in 1982 to meet the needs of Dalits who “felt that they weren’t fully welcome in the existing temples,” Birdi said. Members follow the teachings of a 15th-century guru who preached against the caste system. Birdi said temple-goers were worried that if membership was opened to non-Dalits, it would defeat the purpose of the organization. [link]
Part of the basis for the Human Rights Tribunal’s decision was jurisdictional, but part was also based on a prior United Native Nations decision, agreeing that membership could be restricted to a minority group in order to promote the group’s welfare.
3 Responses to “B.C. Human Rights Tribunal gives Ravidassia gurdwara special protection”
By Mewa Singh on Jul 29, 2008 at 5:33 am | Quote
I, too, have been still trying to wrap my head around this question. I have had limited contact with the Ravidasia community, but have tried increasingly to engage with them more recently.
Amongst the youth, there are only few differences and most see themselves as wanting to be part of a greater Punjabi Sikh collective. However, their parents (having not grown up in the US and having had very different experiences probably both in Punjab and the US) want their children to not only be proud of but assert their Ravidasia identity as separate than a Sikh identity. It is a fine line because some of their leaders and intelligencia do not believe themselves to be part of the “collective Sikh fold,” although there are opinions that differ from this more extreme position as well.
By DJ Drrrty Poonjabi on Aug 1, 2008 at 3:39 am | Quote
FAIL
By Suki on Aug 7, 2008 at 1:02 am | Quote
It is a fine line because some of their leaders and intelligencia do not believe themselves to be part of the “collective Sikh fold,”
Can you really blame them.
I can’t believe nobody wants to talk about this issue here. I wonder why that is. Is it cause most here come from a jatt background and don’t want to admit that there are problems of racism in our community.