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Ottawa Citizen Q- What takes more courage, to believe or not believe?

Submitted by WSO Editor on Tue, 11/06/2013 - 09:01

A recent Ottawa Citizen "Ask the Religion Experts" question was, "What takes more courage, to believe or not believe?"  WSO's Balpreet Singh's answer from a Sikh perspective is below.  For the replies from the other experts, please see here.

From a Sikh perspective, it certainly requires more courage to believe than not to. Faith requires courage by default. When one starts on the path of spirituality, there can be many questions and doubts. It requires courage to believe in something that we cannot touch or see or ever be fully able to comprehend.

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On the Quebec Soccer Turban Ban...

Submitted by WSO Editor on Thu, 30/05/2013 - 15:12

By Mukhbir Singh (WSO Vice President- Quebec/Atlantic)

My name is Mukhbir Singh. and I was born and raised in Montreal. I am currently the Vice-President (Quebec & Atlantic Canada) of the World Sikh Organization of Canada (WSO) and a director of the Sikh Community Centre of Montreal.

I am someone who has played soccer his whole life and passionately cares for the children of his local community. The WSO has worked tirelessly to address the concerns over the refusal of the Fédération de Soccer du Québec and Association Régionale de Soccer du Lac St-Louis to allow Quebec’s children of Sikh faith to play soccer while wearing their turban.

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Ottawa Citizen Q- Society's Obligations to Mentally Disabled?

Submitted by WSO Editor on Tue, 28/05/2013 - 09:17

A recent Ottawa Citizen "Ask the Religion Experts" question was, "what are society's obligations to the mentally disabled?" 

WSO's Balpreet Singh's answer from a Sikh perspective is below.  For the replies from the other experts, please see here.  

Society’s obligations towards the mentally disabled begin by acknowledging that mental disability exists and it is not at all uncommon. Only through awareness can we can work to remove the stigma associated with mental illness and offer the necessary assistance to those who need it.

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WSO To Host Annual Human Rights Events in June

Submitted by WSO Editor on Sun, 26/05/2013 - 09:31

RS BainsRS BainsThe World Sikh Organization of Canada will be hosting human rights events across Canada in the month of June, including their annual Parliamentary Dinner in Ottawa on Monday  June 3rd in Ottawa.  This year’s keynote speaker will be leading Punjab human rights activist Rajvinder S. Bains.

Mr. Bains is a human rights activist and lawyer who has practiced in Punjab since 1985, pursuing independent practice at the High Court of Punjab and Haryana at Chandigarh since May 1986.  Mr. Bains has presented several cases before the Punjab Human Rights Commission (PHRC), including Paramjit Kaur Khalra, the wife of disappeared human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, in the trial of the police officers accused of Khalra's disappearance and murder.

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Understanding the Bhinder Decision: A legal perspective

Submitted by WSO Editor on Wed, 22/05/2013 - 10:00

By Balpreet Singh (Legal Counsel, WSO)

Punjabi Version follows English

Recently, I have received several inquiries about the Bhinder case that was decided by the Supreme Court of Canada in 1985. Apparently, some individuals have suggested to the Punjabi media that S. Karnail Singh Bhinder had in fact “won” the case but that neither he nor the community had known of this before.  Further it has also been suggested that since 1985 the Bhinder case has been used against the community in turban cases even though the Supreme Court of Canada had “allowed” the turban in place of the hard hat.  This information is incorrect.

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Ottawa Citizen Q- Why Should We Forgive?

Submitted by WSO Editor on Thu, 09/05/2013 - 09:58

A recent Ottawa Citizen "Ask the Religion Experts" question was, "How can someone forgive when the injury is insurmountable? Why should we forgive?" 


 WSO's Balpreet Singh's answer from a Sikh perspective is below.  For the replies from the other Experts, please see here. 

 

Forgiveness is as much for the person that has been wronged as for the person being forgiven. The reason why we must forgive is because the alternative is to live in anger and resentment.

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Ottawa Citizen Q- How Do You Define Religion?

Submitted by WSO Editor on Tue, 23/04/2013 - 11:05

A recent Ottawa Citizen "Ask the Religion Experts" question was, "how do you define religion?"

WSO's Balpreet Singh's answer from a Sikh perspective is below.  For the replies from the other Experts, please see here .

How we define religion depends on whether we are taking a legal approach or a spiritual one.

Defining religion legally is important, because freedom of religion is a constitutional right in the Canadian Charter of Rights. In order to understand the scope of that protection, it’s important to understand what religion is in the first place.

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WSO Receives Bhullar Update from German Ambassador

Submitted by WSO Editor on Mon, 22/04/2013 - 12:39

German President Joachim GauckGerman President Joachim GauckAfter sending an urgent appeal to the Canadian, German and Indian governments last week to save Prof. Davinderpal Singh Bhullar's life, WSO has received a reply from German Ambassador Werner Wnendt in which he has stated, "[o]n April 12, 2013, the same day the Supreme Court of India has refused to relief Prof. Bhullar from the death penalty, the Federal President, Joachim Gauck, has talked to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in order to plead his case. Germany will continue to talk to India on the highest level about this case."

Ambassador Wnendt's full reply is below.  WSO will continue to raise the issue of Prof. Bhullar's imminent execution and will continue to speak out strongly against the death penalty wherever it exists. 

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Happy Vaisakhi

Submitted by WSO Editor on Sat, 13/04/2013 - 11:47

WSO would like to wish everyone a very happy Vaisakhi.  Let's take the time to learn about the birth of the Khalsa and rededicate ourselves to its founding principles of equality, selfless service and sacrifice.

ਵੈਸਾਖੀ ਅਤੇ ਖਾਲਸਾ ਜੀ ਦੇ ਸਾਜਨਾ ਦੀ ਲਖ ਲਖ ਵਧਾਈ ਹੋਵੇ ਜੀ!  To learn more about Vaisakhi please visit our Vaisakhi FAQ and also feel free to refer to and use WSO's Vaisakhi Awareness Kit. 

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1000 Days to Go - WSO Joins G8 Faith Leaders to Call for Action on MDGs

Submitted by WSO Editor on Fri, 05/04/2013 - 08:57

As 1000 days remain to achieve the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs), WSO President Prem Singh Vinning joined faith leaders from the other G8 countries in calling on G8 Heads of Government to increase efforts to meet the set targets. 

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