Posted on 02/15/2017 10:59:08 AM PST by nickcarraway
"It's just hardwired into us and our religion," Harsimran Singh aid. "Anytime someone needs help, we need to be there."
Members of the Sikh faith are inviting the 188,000 evacuees who were forced to leave their homes because of the damaged Oroville Dam emergency spillway to come to their temples for a nice vegetarian meal and a rest on the floor of their prayer halls.
Yuba City and Sacramento — both about an hour's drive from Oroville — are central migration spots for Sikhs in California, most of whom originally hailed from Punjab, India.
Several temples in the surrounding Northern California area, including Sacramento, Roseville, Turlock and Tracy also publicly invited anyone in need to come to their houses of worship. All together, community estimates put the Sikh population at about 70,000 in the greater Sacramento area. And at the peak of the dam crisis on Sunday evening, two temples say they housed about 350 people fleeing from the possibility of a spillway break.
Inderjit Singh of the Gurdwara Sahib Sikh temple in West Sacramento said about 250 people, both Indian and American, came for shelter on Sunday. Many slept in the hallways and on the carpeted floor. By Tuesday morning, he said, about 150 or so remained. Members wrote Valentine's Day cards for evacuees and were passing them out. Some read, "I hope you return home safely."
In Rio Linda, about an hour's drive away from the dam, temple secretary Raj Kumar Sood said about 100 people had slept over, many in the prayer hall. Some temple leaders had offered their homes as well.
In Stockton, temple doors were also open.
“We’re well prepared, all gurdwaras (Sikh Temple) are indeed open, we have meals and temporary shelter for needy,” the Stockton Gurdwara wrote Twitter and Facebook. Gurdwara means "door to the guru" or "House of God."
And in Roseville, Police Lt. Merve Screeton stopped by a gurdwara there to roll dough with a Sikh woman cooking for Oroville evacuees. His boss, Police Chief Daniel Hahn tweeted: "The Temple has stepped up 2serve those in need." Hahn said Tuesday in an interview that at one point during the day about 40 people had shown up to eat. "They're a great partner," Hahn said.
Thought it's more than a two-hour drive away from the crisis, Harsimran Singh, vice president of the Sikh temple in Turlock, said he didn't realize what a phenomenal response he'd get by just tweeting out an open invitation to shelter evacuees.
Though only a few Sikh families stopped by, his tweet has been retweeted about 2,500 times by Tuesday morning. He also called emergency service directors in Butte, Yuba and Sutter counties, offering rides and food to anyone in need.
A central tenant of Sikhism is “Vand Chhakna,” or share what one has with others. Sikh temples host langars, or community kitchens, to regularly feed members and anyone in need.
"It's just hardwired into us and our religion," Singh said. "Anytime someone needs help, we need to be there."
Sikhs are in general decent people, often mistaken for Muslims. They may wear a turban, but they definitely are not. Remember this.
Sikhs are good people...................
Absolutely correct.
Yes, they are. Good for them.
Funny how religions are often known by their works. Me thinks islam better have a good look at itself....as suggested by the Egyptian leader awhile back.
Sikhs are great people - so long as you don’t desecrate the Golden Temple. Prime Minister Indira Gandhi found out what her own Sikh bodyguards are capable of if you do.
They invented Hide ‘n Sikh
Sikhs are great people and great Americans. I’ve come to know some since college days and more recently.
They are fiercely patriotic and caring for their fellow Americans. They are proud to serve in the US military. Very proud.
Your article is full of Sikh...
/see what I did there
Sikh and you will find.
Sikh are awesome fighters, especially against Muslims.
You want them in your trench.
Sikhs are a minority religion in India, and have been at near constant war with Muslims over the centuries in North India - Its founders were killed by the Muslim Mughal invaders/rulers of India in the 15th century.
Not only are they “different” from Muslims, their religion and personal ethics have been greatly influenced by their persecution and oppression by Islam.
Good for the Sikh community. You would never see a mosque do this. Wahe guru.
They, the Punjabi, were also the greatest warriors of ancient India, and later in the British Empire. All brawn. No brain. (goes the running joke).
They would really like to be able to grow their hair and beard and wear their turbans in the army.
Sikhs are great people and great Americans.
Yes, they are. And a few that I know are never without their pistols.
Sikhs are awesome. Hard working, smart and honest.
Agree with the positive comments about the Sikhs.
Milwaukeestan (Oak Creek ‘burb) had a big shoot-up at one of their temples - some brain-dead moron ‘thought’ they were Muslims. He was killed...by a local cop that took 12 bullets defending the Sikhs.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wisconsin_Sikh_temple_shooting
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