Wow. This is hideous – from the Independent:

A group of men have stormed a Sikh temple in London to stop an inter-faith marriage, forcing the couple to cancel their wedding day.

Members of the Sri Guru Singh Sabha Gurdwara, in Southall, said the final preparations were underway on Friday when the men arrived.

Sohan Singh Sumra, vice-president of the temple, told The Independent a group of up to 22 people men arrived shortly after 8am.

“They were all thugs,” he added. “None of them were recognised by any of the Sikh groups here.

“It was because it was a mixed marriage…they just came here to spoil it and intimidate us.”

[amendment mine]

What possible business was it of theirs? Yes I know religious fanatics want all adherents of their religion to be fanatics too, but you can’t always get what you want. Strangers don’t get to decide about other people’s marriages. It’s none of their business. They need to go do something else – embroidery, or making a meal, or a long walk off a short pier.

“I’ve been in this temple since 1994 and I’ve never seen this sort of thing,” Mr Sumra said. “We will always listen to people’s suggestions but there was no reasoning with them. It was a sad day.”

Always? All people? All suggestions? Even impertinent suggestions from total strangers about who should marry whom? I don’t think anyone should listen to suggestions of that kind.

In October last year, the UK’s Sikh Council released guidelines on inter-faith marriages saying that gurdwaras must ensure the “genuine acceptance of Sikh faith” in both partners, proposing the use of signed delarations.

Nope. Gurdwaras must ensure no such thing.

I suppose that gurdwaras, being religious institutions, can decline to perform the marriages of Sikhs to non-Sikhs, if they want to be assholes about it. But they can’t tell people what to do. The Sikh Council, whatever that is, isn’t the same thing as a gurdwara.

A statement released on Wednesday on behalf of the protesters by the Sikh Press Association said the men were conducting a peaceful protest.

“Some gurdwaras in the UK are simply ignoring rulings by Sikh authorities, so protesting is our only option,” protester Jaspal Singh said.

Bollocks. It’s none of your business. Go all the way away and stay there.

“Blocking the wedding is always our last resort…people of all faiths and backgrounds are always welcome in any gurdwara.

“However, it has been made clear the Anand Karaj (marriage ceremony) is specifically for Sikhs.

“We have no grievances with any of the couples, nor any problem with mixed race or inter-faith marriages. Our issue is with those in charge of our gurdwaras.”

It’s none of your business. Go find some business of your own to mind.