Support for the 1996 Hukamnama Allowing Women to Perform Seva at Golden Temple
In February of 2003, the Bhai Sahiba of Sikh Dharma issued this letter and asked for people to add their signatures in order to show their support. The letter was presented, along with over 8000 signatures, to the SGPC's Dharam Parchar Committee's meeting on April 25, 2003 in Chandigarh, Punjab.
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February 6, 2003
Respected Jathedar Sahib,
Wahe Guru Ji Ka Khalsa,
Wahe Guru Ji Ki Fateh.
The controversy regarding the seva of the Guru is a step to undermine the women of the Khalsa. It's a very corrupt practice because Khalsa has no gender. An Amritdhari woman is as good a Khalsa as a man is.
In spite of the fact that Hukamnama was issued on 9/2/96, it is not being effective. A few Sikhs in Amritsar have monopoly on the seva.
I understand that some people do not want to effectively execute your Hukamnama and they are trying to use methods and procedures to divide the Khalsa Panth into two straight lines: Khalsa women and Khalsa men or Sikh women and Sikh men. Jathedar Singh Sahib Bhai Manjit Singh took a personal stand and this was resolved. But it failed again when the grassroots were not organized. Denying 50% of the Panth to do seva of the Guru and acknowledging it means we may end up replicating the time of Guru Teg Bahadur when the lord of the 3 worlds, Guru Teg Bahadur was denied entry into Golden Temple. Today we are reaching that situation again. Had the women of Amritsar not acted and would have let the Guru leave, history would have been different.
It is most shocking that five Jathedars under the leadership of Jathedar of Akal Takhat could not eradicate the most harmful and un-Sikh act.
Well we in the West believe that you will take firm action and resolve the issue. Somehow this thing is beyond tolerance, it is simple to correct, and then we can put that energy somewhere else.
In the Golden Temple, men sit in the women's side, but in one side no woman is allowed to sit. This is not the Khalsa way.
The women of the Khalsa Panth are not allowed to enter the passage where Guru starts its journey to Golden Temple in Palki Sahib. Unfortunately, this is being seen on television all around the world now. Your immediate action to correct this will be appreciated on behalf of history. Please do act with your heart so that this unfortunate tradition be eliminated. We would like to see this change happening on the TV so our minds can be put to rest.
With respectful regards.
Humbly Yours,
Bibi Inderjit Kaur
Bhai Sahiba
Sikh Dharma of the Western Hemisphere
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