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Heart and Soul: Marriage Problems

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Marriage Problems

09/10/2015 GMT

BBC World Service - Heart and Soul, Marriage Problems

Groups of young Sikhs stopping interfaith marriages taking place in temples.

Hardeep Singh Kohli on the groups of young Sikhs stopping interfaith marriages taking place in temples and how it shones a light on differences within the faith

At the same time as the bride and groom are preparing for the biggest day of their lives, groups of Sikh men, and women are making their own preparations, to stop their wedding taking place. Over the past few years there have been growing reports that interfaith marriages in Gurdwaras have been aggressively disrupted by protesters trying to stop people from having a religious ceremony sanctifying their marriage. The protesters say they are motivated by the deeper teachings of the religion and allowing interfaith ceremonies makes a mockery of their faith. 

In Coventry, England, the home of a Sikh girl who was about to marry a Hindu was attacked on the wedding day - windows of the house were smashed and the couple had to have a police escort to the wedding. Other couples have also had weddings blocked or had to marry in secret.

Hardeep Singh Kohli explores the central tenets of the Sikh faith to consider how they are being interpreted so differently by both sides. Are these recent ructions part of a wider shift towards a more fundamentalist approach to Sikhism or is it down to a younger discerning generation rediscovering a truer purer version of their faith.

(Photo: A Sikh wedding. Credit: Dino Jeram)

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