Community leaders arranged marriage 're-think' call

by mudricky | August 11, 2009 at 11:17 pm

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Interesting story this morning in the Scottish part of the BBC News website. It tells of a 400 strong Sikh community in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Normally parents choose a suitable partner for their children but marriages have increasingly been breaking down.

What can be done about it?

Gary Singh has three children, he did not meet his wife until his wedding day, he said to the BBC.

"A lot of people in England do that now, they're starting to move on,"

"They're taking their children with them, they'll go to their family and meet up and go for a coffee. Let the boy and girl talk."

"We don't do that in Edinburgh. Edinburgh's probably still in the dark ages. We're not moving fast that's the thing, but we're starting to see all these problems happening."

Arranged marriage has been a part of life for Sikhs in Edinburgh since the community arrived in the city in the 1950's.
But a rise in the number of traditional arranged marriages has led to calls for emergency action from community leaders and parents alike.

Edinburgh has a Sikh community of about 400 people who all worship at a single Gurdwara, or Sikh Temple, in Leith.

Traditionally, parents have chosen a suitable partner for their children, with the family arranging the resultant wedding.

And, until now, not meeting your bride until the wedding day itself has been the norm.

However, community elders have told the BBC Asian Network these marriages have increasingly been breaking down, with an unprecedented two splits in a single month.

It has led some to question whether old-fashioned values may not be working for a new generation of young Sikhs.