UK lockdown: Religious sentiments ignored, Sikh body says

AMRITSAR: Has the UK government ignored religious sentiments of people of other faiths to save Christmas celebrations from lockdown restrictions, as the second wave of coronavirus induced lockdown commence from November 5 and end on December 2, well ahead of Christmas ?
At least a section of Sikh community has come forward to censure the UK government for ignoring their religious sentiment and not consulting them before announcing the lockdown dates.
“We have two of the most important and well attended events in the Sikh calendar that fall in this second lockdown period. We have Bandhi Chhor Divas (Diwali) on November 14 and and Guru Nanak Dev’s Gurpurb on November 30. These are two dates when virtually all Sikhs go to the Gurdwara, but it appears that UK government has ignored the needs of the Sikh community” said Dabinderjit Singh, principal adviser to the Sikh Federation (UK) while talking to TOI on Wednesday.
He said not only the Sikhs but people of other faith including Hindus were also ignored by the UK government.
Reportedly, the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson had on October 31 announced a nationwide lockdown of England in wake of second wave of coronavirus pandemic. During the nearly month-long lockdown period between November 5 and December 2, people will be allowed to leave their homes only for essential reasons.
He said the government claims to have deliberations with the leaders of Sikh faith but, he said, they never knew who were those leaders.
Dabinderjit said those who had been invited to attend secret meetings have either no involvement in running Gurdwaras or no track record of challenging the government. “They have simply become the messengers of the government, hence they make no public statements criticising the government” said he.
Jas Athwal, leader of Redbridge Council said that the Prime Minister made no reference to the places of worship, the guidance on the government website had made it clear that all places of worship would require to end all acts of collective worship. Athwal has written a letter to Lord Stephen Greenhalgh Minister of State, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. “Our places of worship have done a great deal to make local venues safe and COVID secure” he writes to Greenhalgh.
Stating that the government has advised people to individually visit places of worship, Dabinderjit said, “All places of worship play a critical role in the community and the concept of individual prayer are a nonsense in Gurdwaras.”