BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 16. Thousands of people can be seen in any gurdwara, or Sikh place of worship, but there are no such places of worship in Azerbaijan, including Baku, the executive director of the Sikh Federation, Dabinderjit Singh said, Trend reports.
He made the remark at the international conference “Racism and Violence Against Sikhs and Other Minorities in India: The Reality on the Ground,” in Baku today.
According to the speaker, the first gurdwara in England was established in 1911, and there are currently 250 gurdwaras across the country.
"Each gurdwara features a designated space for communal meals, where individuals gather to share free vegetarian food. Regardless of religious beliefs or personal convictions, anyone from any part of the world, whether a believer or not, and regardless of gender, can come to the gurdwara. Here, everyone is treated equally; the rich and the poor sit together at the same table and partake in the same meal," he emphasized.
The head of the Sikh Federation's executive committee also discussed the concept of the Sikh state, often referenced in history textbooks. He explained that this state, which flourished under the leadership of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, lasted for fifty years, from 1799 to 1849:
"At times, we forget that the Sikh state, under Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s leadership, spanned an area twice the size of the United Kingdom and six times that of Azerbaijan. Its population numbered approximately 12 million people."