NEW DELHI — The Golden Temple, a sprawling and serene complex of gleaming gold and polished marble that is the spiritual center of the Sikh religion, is one of India’s most popular tourist attractions. Revered by Indians of all faiths, it is a cherished emblem of India’s religious diversity. So it was no surprise when the gold-plated marvel was promoted as the likely third stop on President Obama’s visit to India, scheduled for early November.
But the United States has ruled out a Golden Temple visit, according to an American official involved in planning. Temple officials said that American advance teams had gone to Amritsar, the holy city that is the site of the temple, to discuss a possible visit. But the plan appears to have foundered on the thorny question of how Mr. Obama would cover his head, as Sikh tradition requires, while visiting the temple.
“To come to golden temple he needs to cover his head,” said Dalmegh Singh, secretary of the committee that runs the temple. “That is our tradition.”
Mr. Obama, a Christian, has struggled to fend off persistent rumors that he is a Muslim, and Sikhs in the United States have often been mistaken for Muslims. Sikhism, which arose in the Punjab region in the 15th century, includes elements of Hinduism and Islam but forms a wholly distinct faith. Since Sept. 11, 2001, Sikhs in the United States have been occasional targets of anti-Muslim discrimination and violence — a Sikh was killed in Arizona a few days after the attack on the World Trade Center by a man who mistook him for a Muslim.
Observant Sikhs do not cut their hair, and Sikh men wear turbans that cover their heads in public. Visitors to Sikh temples, known as gurudwaras, are required to cover their heads and remove their shoes. Baseball caps are not considered appropriate. Sikh scriptures require that men tie a piece of cloth on their heads, not simply put on a hat that can be easily taken off, because the act of tying has spiritual significance. Most non-Sikh visitors tie on kerchiefs sold by vendors outside the temple.
The Golden Temple is a popular stop for famous visitors. In 1997 the Queen of England padded around the glittering temple in her stocking feet. Another kind of royalty, the scion of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty that controls India’s Congress Party, Rahul Gandhi has also been to the temple. He sipped tea from a metal bowl there, sitting on the ground like every other visitor, head draped as temple tradition demands. Last year Canada’s prime minister, Stephen Harper, also covered his head when he visited the temple.
For Mr. Obama, who will be seeking to cement the crucial but sometimes testy relationship between two of the world’s biggest democracies, the temple was one of several possible backdrops intended to convey America’s kinship with India. Mr. Obama will visit Mumbai and New Delhi.
H. S. Phoolka, a prominent Sikh lawyer in New Delhi, said he was disappointed that Mr. Obama would not visit the temple.
“We have worked so hard to establish in America that Sikhs have a very different identity than Muslims,” Mr. Phoolka said. “It is very unfortunate that even the White House is conveying the message that there is no difference between Muslims and Sikhs.”
Hari Kumar and Jim Yardley contributed reporting.
UPDATE OCT 21:
| NEW YORK:
UNITED SIKHS, on behalf of the global Sikh community, is urging
President Barack Obama to not cancel his visit to one of the most
sacred and historically revered Sikh Gurdwaras, Harmandar Sahib (also
known as the Golden Temple). The President's visit to India in
November has been marked with heightened jubilation, especially from
the Sikh community. For a religious minority group that has often remained invisible to the world, the Sikh community now has the enviable opportunity to welcome for the first time a head of state from the United States. The importance of this visit should not be understated. This moment could stand as the seminal educating moment for Sikhs to once and for all introduce themselves and their distinctive identity to the world. Today, there has been a plethora of misinformation surrounding the President Obama's apparent cancellation of his trip to Harmandar Sahib and the alleged reason that he wanted to avoid being perceived as a Muslim. White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs in a briefing today responded to a question regarding the President's visit, he stated: "We pick sites on foreign trips based on what the President wants to accomplish. We've not finalized the schedule for Asia, including India, yet. We hope to do that over the course of the next week." Click here to read the complete Press Release. UNITED SIKHS sought further corroboration that nothing has yet been finalized by talking with prominent members of the SGPC who clearly indicated that they have received no word about any cancellation and that there is no issue regarding the type of head covering Obama chooses. Avtar Singh Makkar, President of Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), told the President of UNITED SIKHS, Kuldip Singh, that they imposed no restrictions on how President Obama could cover his head. Mr. Makkar further stated that: "The only requirement is that his head is covered and that his shoes are removed inside the Darbar Sahib complex, as is the custom for all visitors. Sikhs have always welcomed people from all faiths and from across all geographic boundaries." These statements echo what Harmandar Sahib represents and stands for, even its architecture reveals its true intent with the creation of four doors - one on each side of the holy building - to symbolize people of all different caste, class, or creed may enter into Harmander Sahib, but when they are inside, it symbolizes the equality and oneness of humankind in the presence of God. Additionally, Mr. Makkar emphasized that the "doors of Harmandar Sahib have previously welcomed other Heads of State and foreign dignataries [see photos below]. And recently, we [SGPC] faxed a letter to the White House inviting President Obama and his family to Harmandar Sahib." Furthermore, during talks with UNITED SIKHS Directors, the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC), Paramjit Singh Sarna (President) and Daljeet Singh (Dharam Prachaar Committee), stated that President Obama would also be warmly welcomed at other Sikh places of worship in India, including Delhi. UNITED SIKHS believes President Obama not visiting Harmandar Sahib would be a missed opportunity to educate the world community about rights of minorities generally, and specifically, the distinctiveness of the Sikh identity. In the past, both the Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the Queen of England covered their heads while visiting Harmandar Sahib. Moreover, the rampant misinformation is in direct contrast to the President's actions of championing religious tolerance and diversity. For example, President Obama has always been comfortable and respected the customs of other faith traditions, as exhibited by his trip to the Wailing Wall in Israel where he wore a yarmulke (see below). Thus, the recent news must be viewed with some skepticism. | ||||||
| ||||||
| In
response to the potential cancellation of the trip to Harmandar Sahib,
Hansdeep Singh, Senior Staff Attorney at UNITED SIKHS, says: " If these
rumors are true, this is a tremendously disappointing moment for the
entire Sikh community and religious minorities in general. What
was supposed to be affirmation and recognition of a young, vibrant, and
growing religious minority, has devolved into a race to the
bottom. How long will we be beholden to ignorant and intolerant
groups, while Sikhs who have faced the harsh reality of discrimination
and mis-identification remain sidelined and silenced once again." Harpreet Singh Sandhu, member of the National Democratic Ethnic Coordinating Council in California, says: "I hope President Obama decides to make the visit to the Golden Temple. It would be a welcome indication of his continuing support for Sikhs and other religious minorities. Specifically, it would highlight to the world, how Sikhism - often called a minority religion - has poignant, universal, and all-embracing messages for humanity at its core, that can appeal to all sensibilities."  During his visit to the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem, President Obama wearing a yarmulke. In August, a national survey by think tank the Pew Research Center found that nearly one-in-five Americans (18%) say Obama is a Muslim, up from 11% in March 2009. Only about one-third of adults (34%) say Obama is a Christian, down sharply from 48% in 2009. Around 43% of Americans say they do not know what Obama’s religion is. The survey was completed in early August, before Obama’s recent comments about the proposed construction of a mosque near the site of the former World Trade Center. |
