Glen Jean, WV, USA—This year representatives from the American Sikh Scouting who are part of the ASC, collaborated with the British Sikh Scouts [13th Southall (Sikh) Scout Group, UK https://www.sikhscouts.org/
The British Sikh Scouts contingent of adults all from the Southall, Middlesex area of London were as follows:
- Daljit S Aubby
- Parmjit S Sahota
- Satyadeep S Gujral
- Gurpal S Bhambra
- Amrit K Gill
- Arshi K Dhillon
- Jasvinder K Marbay
- Munpreet K Marbay
- Pardeep K Sahota
- Rupinder K Chana
ASC representatives have participated in many Cubarees, state Jamborees, including the 2013 and 2017 National Jamborees with phenomenal success, while being recognized by Scouts BSA (USA) for our outstanding service to make a better world. ASC representatives have educated over 110,000 Scouts from Cubs, to Scouts to adult Scouters across the US through the means of disseminating an array of brochures which include our history and genocide.
Halfway through the World Jamboree this time, on Saturday July 27, 2019 Göran Hägerdal Global Director of Scouting Development at the World Scout Bureau (WSB) confronted ASC representative Kavneet Singh at the Sikh exhibit and without any logical explanation and asked him to leave the event. When Kavneet Singh asked Goran (who is from Sweden) in the presence of another senior Scout leader from the US, he stated that the Sikh Genocide brochure is a problem. Kavneet stated that if necessary the brochure in question will not be disseminated but did ask Goran if he denies the Jewish Holocaust and therefore the Sikh Genocide, but there was silence. In fact Goran had the gall and audacity to say, “I do not care about your story (Genocide) and you have to leave“!
This constitutes censorship and barring of free speech and depriving thousands of Scouts from across the globe the ability to be educated about history of other religious minorities, ethnic groups and nationalities. It is important to note that the Jewish Holocaust has been lawfully recognized and is part of the education curriculum from Middle School to High School in seven states of the US. The Holocaust is taught along-with the other genocides in the state of New Jersey. http://www.state.nj.us/
Goran Hagerdal unilaterally deprived Kavneet Singh a Sikh representative of the ability to distribute and inform the participants/members of the World Scout Jamboree the information relating to the Sikh Genocide issues and not to mention Goran’s outright denial of the Jewish holocaust and other atrocities.
The WSJ/WSB leadership together with the British Sikh Scouts contingent and their friend a British redheaded woman named Dawn, conspired to discredit, demean and slander the person of Kavneet Singh and the work he has been doing for the last 15 plus years with the Scouts-BSA. The senior members of the Scouts-BSA (US) team present at the time of his removal from the Jamboree repeatedly mentioned the “great work he has done and continues to do“, but were overruled and silenced by the WSJ/WSB.
Additionally the British Sikh Scouts contingent appear to have been under the control of ant-Semitic and anti-Sikh organizations/entities such as right wing fascist organization in India, known as the RSS and its supporters, who are determined to dismiss the ‘Sikh Genocide 1984 – 1998’ where over one million Sikhs were murdered over those years as part of the ‘Sustained Sikh Genocide’ in India. The complete silence by the Jewish representatives of the Scouts-BSA at the event was also surprising and shocking.
It is shocking that the Goran Hagerdal a leader of the World Scouts Jamboree – WSJ/WSB could be so utterly callous and insensitive to the horrific history and genocide of the Sikhs. When asked by Kavneet Singh, if he denies the Jewish Holocaust, he was met with dead silence. It is mind boggling that a man who refuses to acknowledge the Jewish Holocaust and the Sikh Genocide is in charge of inculcating good values, such as empathy and respect to thousands of young people. It is the height of hypocrisy and indeed shameful that a racist bigot like Goran Hagerdal is a leader of such an esteemed organization such as WSB/WSJ. Kavneet Singh insisted that they give a full explanation and reason in writing for asking him to leave, instead was coerced, threatened and forced to leave, all right under the noses of senior faith leaders who did nothing at this outright injustice, discrimination and insult.
The American Sikh Council (ASC) calls upon all right minded faith organizations across the US to boycott the World Scouts Jamboree WSJ/WSF and give a thorough and immediate explanation for their highhanded and uncouth behavior to insult and injure the reputation of the founder of Sikh Scouting in the US and a long-time board member and former President of the American Sikh Council.
It is indeed a sad day that inflated egos have played a part in this ridiculous decision loaded with politics, instead of sane leaders using thoughtful judgment with humility to sort out an issue, which it was not!
The American Sikh Council (ASC) is the umbrella organization representing Sikhs across the United States. It is the representative and elected body of Sikh Gurdwaras (houses of prayer) and institutions. The main governing purpose of the organization is to represent the collective view of all Sikhs in the United States. ASC works in a collaborative manner to promote Sikh interests at both the national and international levels and focusing on issues of advocacy, education, and overall well-being of humankind.
