Langar or community kitchen at Sikh temples is always open to everyone, even during during the pandemic. A Sikh organization Khalsa Aid has started working with Sanctuary Health, a group focused on refugee and migrant health, to provide family meal hampers.
Jatinder Singh, the director of the Canadian chapter of the group, said groceries to thousands of people across the country is being provided. The beneficiaries include undocumented refugees living in isolation without much help.
It is in Sikh religion to help anyone irrespective of race or religion. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for an “all-out effort” against the “tsunami of hate and xenophobia” in the wake of pandemic. The Sikhs are helping in the wake of right-wing groups and conspiracy theorists blaming various ethnic and minority groups for spreading the disease.
US President Donald Trump has blamed China for attacking his country with COVID-19 and started tightening immigration policies to polarize his supporters. Violence against people of Chinese descent has increased. Canada, too, has witnessed a spike in hate crimes against people of Chinese heritage.
Singh said the blame game and scapegoating of vulnerable groups and minorities goes against the tenets of Sikhism, which teaches universal brotherhood. Khalsa Aid, which is a UK -based international humanitarian relief organization, has been doing social works since 1999.
The Khalsa was an army of dedicated Sikhs raised by the tenth master of the Sikh faith, Guru Gobind Singh, to fight for social justice in what was then Moghul-ruled northern India. The Khalsa not only opposed the repression of non-Muslims by the Islamic rulers, but also combatted caste-based discrimination within the Hindu community.
Khalsa Aid is known for their work in providing relief to the victims of wars and natural calamities. The idea of helping anyone irrespective of race or religion is enshrined in the Sikh philosophy. The daily prayer of a devout Sikh ends with a call for the well-being of all of humankind.