I Hope Our Community Places Of Worship Will Take Note!
By Harinder Mahil
The United Church of Canada has decided to publicly oppose the proposed Northern Gateway pipe-line and to communicate that decision to the government, Enbridge Inc. and the public.
According to the Vancouver Sun of August 15, 2012 Ray Jones, the Chair of the church’s aboriginal ministries council stated that the pipeline proposed by Calgary-based Enbridge Inc. would do severe environmental damage, traversing waterways where salmon spawn.
I hope our Gurudwaras, Mandirs and Mosques will take notice of this statement by the United Church of Canada. Our places of worship often take the position that they cannot take a stand on such political issues.
I remember visiting a Gurudwara a number of years ago and speaking to the president of the society and asking him to publicly oppose Bill C-24 that had been introduced by the federal government to amend the Immigration Act in a way that was anti-immigrant and discriminatory. A number of immigrant communities were opposed to the Bill and had started a campaign to ask the government to withdraw it. The president of the Gurudwara society was not going to get involved in this issue at all. He advised me that the society was a religious organization and could not take a stand on a political issue.
Although I pleaded with him that there was no restriction to prevent him or the society from taking a position on an issue that was important to the members of the society, he would not change his position. My arguments included the fact that the United Church of Canada had publicly opposed the Bill as well.
Although our places of worship are not the same as they were when I spoke to the president of the Grurudwara, many still do not take strong stands in support of their members particularly when it comes to taking on the government of the day. Some representatives of these societies are happy with the fact that Jason Kenney, Minister of Immigration (known in some circles as the Minister of Deportation) had a cup of tea with them.
In my opinion elected officials of these societies must consider the welfare and interests of the members as a whole as well as the community in fulfilling their duties. This includes speaking out on various issues that impact the community.
If the United Church of Canada, with close to three million members in Canada, can take a stand on such issues as Northern Gateway pipeline, so can societies operating our Gurudwaras, Mandirs and Mosques.
Harinder Mahil is a human rights activist and is a board member of the Dr. Hari Sharma Foundation.
