MONTHLY
OCTOBER 2016 ISSUE No.215
PROMOTING EDUCATION, DIVERSITY & INTEGRATION
www.theasiantoday.com
YOUR MONTHLY SHOWBIZ FIX!
GOSSIP • INTERVIEWS • MUSIC • MOVIES - & MUCH MORE! TURN TO PAGES ##-##
HAPPY DIWALI FROM THE ASIAN TODAY TEAM
A Weapon of Peace T
he anniversary of 9/11 in 2016 saw a grave
misunderstanding for the Sikh community. On September 11th 2016 on a Sunday, men from Sikh Youth UK staged a protest at Gurdwara Sahib in
Leamington Spa. Many of them carried traditional Kirpans, ceremonial knives. The protest was against an interfaith marriage between a Sikh and Hindu which the group felt should not be performed in a traditional Sikh ceremony. Over 50 men aged between 20-30 years
entered the Gurdwara and sat down chanting a prayer in a peaceful protest. They were dressed in black hoods, orange bandanas and some reportedly carrying bladed items. Police were contacted and arrested 55 protestors for aggravated trespass, additionally a number of
“bladed weapons” were seized on the day. The “weapons” were seen to be Kirpans, traditional ceremonial knives carried by Sikhs as a religious item. The knife is akin to the Christian Cross as a religious symbol and is not intended as a violent weapon. UK law states that Continued on Page 2
We won at The PAKMAA Awards TURN TO PAGE 12