While members of the Sri Guru Singh Sabha gurdwara work to put the incident behind them, the World Sikh Organization (WSO) has condemned recent vandalism of the south Edmonton Sikh temple.
“These sort of incidents are born out of ignorance and fear and we feel the best way to deal with them is to educate and reach out to those in the community who may not know who Sikhs are,” said Tejinder Singh Sidhu, the WSO’s Alberta vice-president. “The vandals would have made better use of their time if they simply went inside the gurdwara, asked a few questions and enjoyed the free meal available to all visitors.”
Yesterday, community members found two aggressive phrases spray painted on the side of the gurdwara, including “leave Canada” and a racist message aimed at Indian people including a nasty expletive.
The president of the Gurdwara Siri Guru Sing Sabha community said he did not want to comment on the vandalism, saying incidents like this happen all the time.
Members of this gurdwara are active in both hosting and participating in events in Mill Woods, including raising tens of thousands of dollars in donations for the Edmonton Food Bank and welcoming the local community in their official Nagar Kirtan parade, an event that attracts thousands of Sikhs and community members alike.
“Sikhs have been in Canada for well over a century,” said Kulmeet Singh Sangha, WSO national vice-president, commending the gurdwara for greeting hatred with grace and offering education over retaliation. “This is our home and we are proud of it. The vandalism of the Sri Guru Singh Sabha in Edmonton shows that racism is still out there and we must continue to remain vigilant.”
Sikhism was founded in India in the 15th century and is the fifth largest religion in the world, with around 30 million followers across the globe, preaching equality among all people and rejecting discrimination.
Alberta is home to well over 50,000 Sikhs, with over 468,000 Sikhs in Canada making up roughly 1.4% of the population.