GillAUS

Melbourne Sikh temple arson 'an attack on religion'

* Lauren Wilson

* From: The Australian

* January 14, 2010 12:00AM

A fire was deliberately lit inside the Nanaksar Thath Isher Darbar Sikh Temple, which is under construction, in Lynbrook overnight. Temple elder Satnam Singh and Amarpreet Singh examine the damage. Picture: Stuart McEvoy Source: The Australian

AN elder at a Melbourne Sikh temple suspected to have been torched by arsonists has described the early-morning vandalism as an "attack on religion", placing further strain on diplomatic relations already damaged by a spate of serious assaults on Indian students.

The partially built Nanaksar Thath Isher Darbar temple in Melbourne's outer southeastern suburbs, home to a congregation of Sikhs, many of whom come from the Punjab in northern India, is believed to have been set on fire with the use of molotov cocktails early yesterday.

Distraught temple elder Satnam Singh said the wilful destruction of a "God house" was an attack on Indians.

Detective Senior Constable Paul Stow, in charge of the investigation, said the fire was being treated as suspicious, but detectives were yet to establish whether race or religion had motivated the arsonists.

"At this stage there is nothing to suggest it is (race-related) other than the fact that it happened to a temple," Detective Constable Stow told The Australian yesterday.

The Sikh temple, known as a gurdwara, is in the middle of a large empty paddock in front of a sprawling housing estate at Lynbrook, on Melbourne's suburban fringe. The fire could put further pressure on bilateral relations between India and Australia, which have come under renewed strain since the stabbing of a 21-year-old Punjab-born accounting graduate, Nitin Garg, in a park in Melbourne's west earlier this month.

Among the members of the Indian community who visited the temple yesterday to survey the damage was the consul-general of India in Melbourne, Anil Kumar Gupta, who walked around the site taking notes and talking with elders. One worshipper, who asked not to be named, said he was informed by police that three molotov cocktails and a jerry can containing petrol were found inside the temple. Constable Stow confirmed that "a number of items were located to suggest accelerant was used".

Despite initial police reports indicating that a group of teens had lit "a couple of small fires" in piles of rubbish in the temple, Constable Stow said police believed the arson to be a "deliberately lit fire" rather than a bonfire that had burned out of control.

A police spokeswoman last night said investigators were keeping an open mind about the investigation.

"We can't discount anything," she said.

Victorian police have been criticised and caricatured in India for being too quick to rule out racism as a motive for attacks on Indian students.

Walking through the blackened interior yesterday, Mr Singh said the fire was "very, very personal".

"This is an attack on religion, this is very bad," he said. "This should not have been done, this is a God house, everybody who comes here prays to God."

When asked whether he believed the attack to be race-related, Mr Singh said: "Yes, attack on Indians."

The deputy high commissioner of India, V.K. Sharma, yesterday said: "We have no comment to make."

It is believed two people were seen leaving the temple near midnight.

Source: http://www.theaustra...f-1225819009767

Try it now bro:

http://apnatunes.com/music/dharmik/Dharmik/Babbu Mann - Singh Is Better Then King [128kbps] (Nov 2k9)/

This looks like a classic in the making. Really looking forward to it.

Will have to agree with the above posts re. the translations - I was a little flabbergasted to see it translated using that word! lol

Nevertheless, lets hope this doco steps up and finally shows the world what Nihang Singhs are all about.

I guess it all boils down to what you're into. Obviously dharmik geet is best done in the dhadhi tradition.

However, these modern interpretations do a good job of raising awareness and spreading the message - which is what it comes down to anyway.

Just aslong as it doesn't degrade into something overtly cheap and trashy it's fine with me.

Btw, I know there are a lot of hip-hop haters around, but if you go beyond the materialistic crap thats at the forefront of the genre, there is A LOT of conscious stuff out there. That's the real hip-hop.

Download link: http://apnatunes.com/music/dharmik/Dharmik/Babbu Mann - Singh Is Better Then King [128kbps] (Nov 2k9)/

I haven't listened to it yet, but I hope it's good.

Enjoy!

Peace.

I must say that although he has put out his fair share of garbage songs, he sometimes comes through with the odd song which deals with a lot of the social issues concerning Punjab.

For that I think he deserves some respect; unlike some of the buffoons such as Jazzy B who, besides a couple of dharmik albums, don't really address many issues in their songs.

Lets hope this album has something to say.

Thanks brother Neo Singh. I am currently studying for what will hopefully be my final university exams and I can say that with the stress of that, in conjunction with the other worries I have - this is exactly what I needed!

I think it was actually Sri Sri Ravishankar that was raising awareness about Sri Guru Nanak Dev ji's shrine in Baghdad, and petitioning for it to be rebuilt.

In regards to Muslims/Islam; I think the Chris Rock explanation (Black people vs. Niggas) is apt: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ui6-Wc0PDc4

Similarly, you have Sullas vs. Muslims

Anyways, hope everyone had a nice Diwali.

A 21-year-old Indian student has been attacked by a group of males in suburban Melbourne after they stopped him and demanded cigarettes and money.

Today's incident is the latest in a spate of assaults on Indian students that have led to claims racist violence is escalating around the city.

The victim, a nursing student at the Chisholm Institute in Dandenong, in Melbourne's east, was slashed with a box-cutter knife carried by one of five men who confronted him in a carpark, a spokeswoman for Victoria Police said.

She said the attack happened at 1.30pm today as Mr Singh was leaving the college. Five males confronted him as he crossed a car park and asked for cigarettes.

Police said Mr Singh told the men he was a non-smoker. The men then demanded money and when the student refused, he was slashed across the chest.

Mr Singh made his way to a police station where he made a statement about the attack.

Police spokeswoman Senior Constable Karla Dennis said there was no indication the attackers had deliberately targeted the student. "I would say this is an opportunistic fight. It could have happened to any individual of any nationality,'' she said.

She said the student's injury was minor and he did not need hospital treatment.

However, an Indian news website said the student, Nardeep Singh, from Ludhiana, in northern Punjab state, was bleeding heavily and went to a hospital, according to his roommate.

Mr Singh is believed to have been in Australia for two months.

Police said they had no descriptions of the five men, except that two were "Australians". The carpark was deserted and there were no CCTV cameras. They have appealed for anyone with information to come forward.

Today's incident also comes after a vandalism spree at a Sikh temple in Shepparton, in central Victoria, yesterday.

Shepparton police tonight confirmed the attack but told The Age they had no further details.

However, website India Today reported racist graffiti and a swastika were painted on the walls and a car driven into a fence around the temple, smashing it.

Here's some recent news about what happens when you mess with the wrong sort of 'Indians'.

http://www.smh.com.au/national/racist-skateboarder-in-hospital-after-tussle-with-indian-wrestlers-20091005-gir3.html

The overt materialism that dominates Punjabi culture never ceases to amaze me.

When I was younger, the way people used to react to me saying I was Punjabi or Sikh was always with a, 'oh you guys are like a warrior people aren't you'.

Nowadays it's always like, 'Oh you're Punjabi/Sikh, wow you people have such awesome weddings with so much booze and food its great, it's like something from Bollywood!'.

'Hinduism' is hugely varied in India, let alone Nepal.

South India is much closer to the original Indic religion and culture than North India - in many places, Buffalo/cow is eaten in South India - which is why you hardly ever see North Indian Hindus grace Tamil restaurants!

In Nepal, it is only the Chumar equivalent workers that may take cattle meat. Other than that - at the holy festival of Dashain,

the Gurkhas believe that Durga slew the demon Mahishasura in the guise of a water buffalo. This is why WB are 'chatkaad'.

Goats are also chatkaad during this holy period at various points. I don't think the Nepalese eat the Buffalo meat, probably give it to the leather workers etc.

Shiva is the predominant form worshipped in Nepal (not suprising).

The Nepalese have a long standing Indian Warrior culture - as do many South and East Indian communities, its a myth when people talk about 'where were the Indian warriors etc during the Mughal times'. The Mughals did not rule all of what is now know as India - they ruled a huge strip stretching along North India, many areas (North of, East and South) were unaffected by Mughals - ancient Indian Warrior cultures still exist in these regions (with their practices).

Shaheediyan, you are right about South Indian Hindus re. beef. I had a friend from Kerala of the Nair caste, and he had no qualms whatsoever about cooking and eating beef. I was quite confused by this and he assured me that beef consumption was at the very least, normal among the Nairs of Kerala.

What is Indic society? But yes, it is held in the same regard by many Indians.

Do the Nepali Gurkhas consider themselves Hindu or is it a term applied by others? It goes to show how ancient cultural practices can conflict with the beliefs of a religion, yet they continue doing it, and think they're doing a good thing.

I also thought the same thing, but I suppose Nepali traditions differ from those in India perhaps - I have also eaten dried buffalo meat given to me by a Nepali friend, so I'm guessing that its consumption is also permissible.

All this talk about kukris made me want to search the net to see if I could see it in action.

This video is the result of that search - don't watch it if you are anti-jhatka

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-b5OYhjx-Xg

Winston Churchill once said in regards to the Germans that 'the Hun is always either at your throat or at your feet'.

I can't help but think that perhaps had he lived in this era, he would have been saying it about an entirely different group of people for which it would be even more apt.

I haven't watched the video since last week (not that I'd like to watch it more than once), but I think there was a statement by him that he wished to see the Islamic flag flying atop 10 Downing St (i.e. PM's residence).

This sends me the message that Shariah will be for both Muslim and kafir, which means that kafirs will be likely to have to pay the jizya 'tax' (extortion).

Fun times ahead for the UK, and indeed any country overrun by such creatures.

Awesome stuff! The Conan movies were indeed classics - probably slightly underrated in that many people don't mention them nearly enough when discussing Arnie's body of work.

GillAUS, they don't need to fast if pregnant, sick etc.

Ah yes, I did overlook that fact - however she looked to be neither. Lucky for her that Shariah is not the law of the land here

Ramadan is still going on isn't it?

I ask this because today during my lunch hour, I witnessed a fully hijab-ed Muslim female tucking into what looked like a two-piece feed from KFC (non-Halal btw).

I thought that was something interesting to share

Ps. She definitely looked like she was enjoying it as well. So much for the 'Month of Reflection'.

Fateh!

Do you know who Anjem Choudury is? He is the same mad mullah who wrote a letter to the Pope stating that the innocent victims who died in the 7/11 bombings deserved to die and should not be treated as innocent civilians. He's also on record as saying that the killing of non-Muslims is legitimate.

The guy is a psychopathic Muslim who is following his religion to the letter. If MI5 had any balls, they would have sent this disgusting fool packing back to Pakistan or put a bullet in his thick head.

In this video he is practicing Islam taquiyah (deception). The real reason he is protesting the war in Iraq is because according to Islam Sharia it is illegal for non-Muslims to kill Muslims for any reason, while a Muslim is allowed to murder non-Muslims without punishment.

Regards,

K.

After his post 7/11 interview I am amazed that no one has physically assaulted this slimy racist kafir-phobe to date (well not that I know of, going by media reports etc.).

Every time I see news like this, I just get more and more frustrated at the way Britain is heading. Although it makes me glad that I don't live there, Australia wouldn't be too far off if we had as big a Muslim population here (although unfortunately it is growing).

Fateh!

Since, the last one went so well, I decided that I would have to go and watch this one first hand.

The news reports the England Defence League and the UAF guys causing trouble when it was actually fantical Muslims (along with their Unite Against Fascism But Not Islamofascism friends) who were the ones making the threatening gestures and started the bottle and brick throwing. See here for pics:

http://www.newenglishreview.org/blog_display.cfm/blog_id/22832

I am going to have to start practising dodging bottles to my real life combat training methinks, since some silly Mulsim goon managed to bruise my hand with a misaimed lob. (He apologised, so I didn't turn him into a halaal kebab.)

The EDL was relatively well-behaved until some whiteys started to hurl back bottles and crap.

All in all a fun day out for all the family.

K.

I've seen the media use terms like 'South-Asian' and 'Anti-facist' to describe these sullay. Basically any word except for what they really are; Muslims.

And these guys have the nerve to spread conspiracy theories about the media being run by Jews - pull the other one Abdul.

Hi guys,

I just found an article about the present situation concerning drugs in Punjab.

It's very eye-opening and thought-provoking.

Check it out at: http://networkedblogs.com/p10842707?ref=nf

The article also refers to the organisation that runs the drug-addict treatment centres. The website for them is: http://www.barusahib.org/index.php

Desi ghee has a very high status in Ayurveda and has many health benefits. Of course, anything in excess is bad and you need to do physical exercise as well.

Of course physical exercise is a must - we are definitely a more sedentary people now than our forefathers were.

Have a big dollop of ghee (keeoo) after training. My grandad swore by it....lol!

I often wonder what the basis of this dubious nutritional tip was????

Isn't that what all bazurgs prescribe, no matter what the situation? lol

I think keeoo is up there with alcohol as one of the major contributors to the ill-health of a lot of Punjabi people!

He basically denounces Muslim kinship on the basis of ritual (sharia etc) - he is placing more importance on truthful living (internal character).

Sounds like he has been reading up on what Guru Sahib considers to be a True Muslim:

ਪੰਜਿ ਨਿਵਾਜਾ ਵਖਤ ਪੰਜਿ ਪੰਜਾ ਪੰਜੇ ਨਾਉ ॥

ਪਹਿਲਾ ਸਚੁ ਹਲਾਲ ਦੁਇ ਤੀਜਾ ਖੈਰ ਖੁਦਾਇ ॥ ਚਉਥੀ ਨੀਅਤਿ ਰਾਸਿ ਮਨੁ ਪੰਜਵੀ ਸਿਫਤਿ ਸਨਾਇ ॥

ਕਰਣੀ ਕਲਮਾ ਆਖਿ ਕੈ ਤਾ ਮੁਸਲਮਾਣੁ ਸਦਾਇ ॥ ਨਾਨਕ ਜੇਤੇ ਕੂੜਿਆਰ ਕੂੜੈ ਕੂੜੀ ਪਾਇ ॥੩॥

Panj nivājā vakẖaṯ panj panjā panje nā▫o.

Pahilā sacẖ halāl ḏu▫e ṯījā kẖair kẖuḏā▫e. Cẖa▫uthī nī▫aṯ rās man panjvī sifaṯ sanā▫e.

Karṇī kalmā ākẖ kai ṯā musalmāṇ saḏā▫e. Nānak jeṯe kūṛi▫ār kūrhai kūṛī pā▫e. (3)

There are five prayers and five times of day for prayer; the five have five names.

Let the first be truthfulness, the second honest living, and the third charity in the Name of God.

Let the fourth be good will to all, and the fifth the praise of the Lord.

Repeat the prayer of good deeds, and then, you may call yourself a Muslim.

O Nanak, the false obtain falsehood, and only falsehood. (3)

(SGGS p141)

Now if only this was the official Islamic line of thought - the world would definitely be a lot different.

Nevertheless, good to see that there are some voices of reason within the Muslim community!