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Carter to welcome Sikh holy texts
Chris Carter
Ethnic Affairs spokesperson
Carter to welcome Sikh holy texts
Labour’s Ethnic Affairs Spokesperson Chris
Carter will join the Sikh community tomorrow in Auckland to
welcome the holiest texts of the Sikh religion to New
Zealand.
The Guru Granth Sahib is a collection of
documents compiled by gurus (teachers and leaders) of the
Sikh religion between 1469 and 1708. The documents are
touring Australia and New Zealand before returning to their
home at the Golden Temple in Amritsar, India.
Chris Carter said being entrusted with these documents is a tremendous source of pride for New Zealand’s 10,000 Sikhs. Some of the pages are more than half a millennium old, and Sikhs seeing them with their own eyes will feel equivalent to a Christian seeing the first Bible or a Muslim seeing the first Qur’an.
The Guru Grant Sahib’s arrival coincides with celebrations to mark Vaisakhi, the Punjabi New Year.
The documents will be escorted by a 45-strong delegation from Melbourne, and will arrive at Auckland International Airport on NZ124 at 5:25pm tomorrow. The organisers of the tour, the New Zealand Sikh Society Auckland and the Supreme Sikh Council of New Zealand, welcome all media organisations to witness this historic event.
“I would like to congratulate New Zealand’s
Sikh community on receiving the Guru Granth Sahib,”
Chris Carter said.
“This honour demonstrates how New
Zealand is known throughout the world as a country which
respects its minority religions, and is a real opportunity
for New Zealand’s Sikh community to showcase their ancient
culture and
religion.”
ends
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