Centroids :
This is simply amazing. Really in the "no greater love" category.
Sikhs, Hindus, and Muslims. My best guess is that these people
are all heterodox by the standards of their respective faiths, but
regardless, this is incredible.
Billy
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Indian sect members vow to marry sex workers
("BBC," December 16, 2009)
Sirsa, India - More than 1,000 followers of a multi-religious sect in
northern India have pledged to marry female sex workers who want to escape
exploitation.
Young Hindu, Muslim and Sikh men have been queuing up at the Dera Sacha
Sauda (Abode of the Real Deal) in the town of Sirsa as "wedding volunteers".
They say they are doing so to stop the women from being exploited in
brothels.
They also claim that their move is part of a campaign to stop the spread of
the HIV/Aids virus.
The Dera Sacha Sauda (DSS) is one of many religious sects operating in
northern India.
Most take root by offering community services, social welfare and spiritual
leadership but over time, as their followings grow, they often seek
political influence.
Correspondents say that in religious terms, the DSS is hard to classify.
Many experts argue that it is not, as some have said, an offshoot of Sikhism.
More than 1,200 DSS members have signed pledges to marry the sex workers
following a call from DSS chief Ram Rahim Singh a little over a month ago.
Mr Singh commands a huge following of predominantly lower caste Hindus,
Muslims and Sikhs across the states of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and
Rajasthan.
Two years ago his growing influence brought the DSS chief into
confrontation with the mainstream Sikh clergy who claimed he had tried to
imitate their
beliefs.
The sectarian violence that ensued across Punjab - as well as subsequent
rape and murder charges brought against Ram Rahim Singh - have cast a shadow
on the affairs and functioning of the DSS ever since, observers say.
But the group's supporters believe the new campaign is to halt the spread
of HIV by offering respectable options to sex workers and is part of a long
list of related initiatives against drug abuse and female foeticide.
"By helping drug users and sex workers we are trying to help remove people
from the highest risk situations," said Dr Aditya Insan, a senior DSS
functionary.
'Delicately handled'
He estimates that 40%-50% of women working in red light districts in cities
like Mumbai (Bombay) and Delhi are HIV carriers.
Mr Singh (known as Guru-ji to his supporters) proclaimed at a congregation
last month that "all women forced to live as prostitutes are my daughters".
His remarks brought forth a virtual flood of eager young volunteers from
his flock.
Business graduate Ashish Sachdeva, 22, is in the garments trade in the town
of Sirsa. He believes that marrying a sex worker could be his chance to
repay his debt to humanity and society.
"I am very well settled and it will be the greatest honour for me to
respond to Guru-ji's call."
Nearly 100 young sex workers have contacted the DSS - from Calcutta's
Shonagachi red light district to brothels in Delhi and Mumbai.
"This will have to be a slow and delicately handled process," Dr Insan
said.
"Many women are HIV-positive. Some have young children and are
understandably concerned about their future. We need to ensure these women are
protected legally once they are married."
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