A Sikh campaign group recently stormed two temples to remove the Guru Granth Sahib from the premises, on the pretext that the Sikh holy book should not be present at premises where 'non-Sikh worship' takes place.

The two temples were the Ek Nivas temple in Wolverhampton, which serves a mixed Hindu and Sikh congregation, and the Guru Wadbagh Singh Trust Gurudwara in Greenford.

Both premises were attacked on Sunday 10th December. According to eyewitness reports, around 400 Sikh men surrounded the Ek Nivas temple, some of who threw stones, causing some minor injuries to two temple workers. Some murthis (images) of Hindu deities were also damaged. A smaller group, of about 30 individuals, mostly in their late-twenties, were involved in the incident at the Gurudwara in Greenford.

According to Mataji Kanwaljeet Kaur, head priestess of the Wolverhampton temple, she was verbally abused and intimidated by the campaigners.

"We didn't have the Granth Sahib on the premises. What they took is called pothiyan, which are chapters from the holybook that anybody can buy from any shop." she added.

The Guru Granth Sahib (or the sections of it present on the premises) were removed and taken to other Gurudwaras, which the campaigners consider to adhere to Sikhism in a 'purer' form, and therefore be a more suitable place to house the holy book.

The 'Respect for Sri Guru Granth Sahib Campaign' made headlines last year for attacking some Sikh wedding parties. The group aims to protect the Sikh holy book, which Sikhs consider to be their living Guru, from disrespect.

Their current campaign is to prevent Sikh or Hindu temples (gurudwaras and mandirs) from having a copy of the SGGS at their premises, if the worship of 'Hindu idols' also takes place in the same area. The group has threatened to target two other temples in coming weeks.

"Guru Nanakji condemns all idol worship and to have the Guru Granth Sahibji in the same area is absolutely disgraceful," commented a spokesperson for the campaign group.

According to their website, the 'Respect for Sri Guru Granth Sahibji Campaign' distance themselves from any violence that occurred, but say that they will continue to search out places where the Guru Granth Sahib is placed alongside the worship of idols.

The wider issue

The latest string of attacks on temples, are very worrying. There are dozens of mandirs and gurudwaras in Britain in which the Guru Granth Sahib is displayed alongside either the worship of Hindu deities (such as Rama, Shiva or Durga) or the study of other forms of Hindu scripture. It is a tradition dating back centuries, and it is a potentially huge security issue for the Hindus and Sikhs who use these temples if all of them are going to be attacked in a similar way.

In their quest to maintain and consolidate the identity of Sikhism as a totally different and unrelated religion to Hinduism, they are indulging in intolerant acts that do not have a parallel anywhere in Sikh religion or history.