L. NAZARETH TWP., Pa. — As the priest delivered his sermon, a group of congregants approached, surrounded the holy man and forcibly removed him from the altar.
One of the accosters took his place in what looked like a symbolic takeover.
The episode last April is not atypical for the Sikh temple off Daniels Road outside Nazareth, say members of the Guru Nanak Sikh Society of Lehigh Valley.
- Members of a Sikh temple in Lower Nazareth say police aren't doing enough to protect them from an attempted takeover
- Police and the district attorney say it's a civil matter, and they can't prove who owns the temple
- Last year, some of the former members came into a service and removed a priest from the altar
Police charged three men with harassment in connection with the incident, but members of the society say it hasn’t stopped the men from coming back time and time again, orchestrating a campaign of harassment and intimidation while trying to illegitimately seize control of the religious organization.
Worse, they say, law enforcement has failed to investigate and properly prosecute the offenders, putting worshippers at risk.
Members say they are scared to go to the gurdwara. They say they want police to do more, providing the same level of protection other members of the public get, rather than passing the buck to the civil courts.
"Aside from a couple people, the hundreds of members of the society and its board all agree — this must stop,” said Alex Short, an attorney who represents the congregation.
“This is an ongoing pattern of behavior by an isolated group of individuals, which, by my estimate, included a number of violations of the Pennsylvania criminal code."
Even since the priest was escorted from the altar, there have been incidents uncharacteristic for a house of worship.
“This is an ongoing pattern of behavior by an isolated group of individuals, which, by my estimate, included a number of violations of the Pennsylvania criminal code."Alex Short, attorney
Congregants say a group of seven Sikhs, all disgruntled former members of the temple, have tried to break into the building with a saw, shown up with a car full of armed private security guards and have threatened the women and children of the temple to their faces.
Congregants say they’ve been victimized by a faction of former members who used to be heavily involved in the temple leadership before things went sour between the sides.
Police have been called dozens of times and say they’ve responded to each one. But they say they can’t stop the former members from entering the premises.
It’s a civil matter, according to police, who say they haven’t seen clear evidence about who actually is supposed to be in charge, so they have essentially asked the temple groups to resolve it among themselves.
"The police respond to every call," Northampton County District Attorney Terry Houck said. "So the allegation that the police are not doing anything is patently false.
“The police arrive there and are often met with accusations by both groups, lack of identification of alleged wrongdoers, inconsistent statements, recantation, and some of the complaints are just 'He looked at me the wrong way' or 'She smiled at me the wrong way.'"
Short said there is no question of who is in charge of the gurdwara –- what Sikhs call their house of worship — and it can be clearly demonstrated.
“I have seen no evidence of a legitimate dispute as to ownership," he said, referring to the premises.
Inside the temple
On a peaceful day, which members say is not easy to come by anymore, families gather in the temple. They take off their shoes and put on a head covering before bowing in the main shrine room.
They are met with hugs, smiles and homemade Indian food, which some members are passionate about giving to visitors, even offering to adjust the spice level to suit their palates.
At most Sikh temples, anyone can go in for a free meal. Some of the kitchens, especially in bigger temples in places such as India, are open around the clock for anybody who's hungry.
Most are run entirely by volunteers, as is the case at the Guru Nanak Sikh Society.
One of the older men in the community, who goes by the nickname S.P., pointed to the orange flag flying outside — a symbolic beacon of spiritual freedom.
"Anywhere in the world you see that flag outside the building, go inside, you get free kitchen," he said, then corrected his translation — "free food," he said with a laugh.
"There is no condition. You don't have to be religious. You go there any time of day and say I need help, and they will help."
S.P. said it comes down to one of the core tenets of the faith: equality.
A significant part of the tradition, members explain, is congregating around the temple for hours and hours after services end, sometimes on random days or times — just to socialize and eat together, and to foster a sense of community.
That has not been so easy lately.
Women of the gurdwara
The women who come to the gurdwara say they are having an especially hard time.
One day last week, a group of about 20 of them formed a scrum, letting reporters ask them questions. Very few wanted to be identified, out of fear of retaliation from the group of disgruntled former members.
"My concern is, women are not safe, even the kids are not safe," said one woman who asked that her name not be used, out of fear for her safety. "So people keep coming less and less. People come here on Sunday for peace, right?"
Among the allegations of congregants is that the defector group often comes in and uses hurtful language and threats toward the women — sometimes on random days or evenings when they are using the building as a community space.
As a result, the women said they have started sticking together.
"I don't think the women here have the courage to come alone," another woman said. "Now, we have to come in a group, and we call each other. We get together in a park, and then we come in together because we don't feel safe."
Some women of the temple also allege that hurtful remarks, including cursing and name-calling, have targeted children.
"They don't even spare our kids," the same woman said. "Not our daughters."
'They don't do nothing about it'
During a news conference at the temple Monday, Sikh community members said their main complaint is law enforcement isn’t doing enough to protect them.
From the perspective of the police, it's a civil matter — a dispute between two groups, neither with clear ownership nor authority of the temple.
"They're telling us again and again, they don't have proof who's the actual board," said Harry Ghuman, a member of the community. "And we've been showing them all the proof — the signing authorities, and the banks and everything. They look at it, and they don't do nothing about it.
"And I respect law enforcement very much. I have family members who are former police officers or are currently serving the police, but the thing is, you're supposed to come in and take action.
"It's come to the point where my 7-year-old daughter has asked me, 'Daddy, is it safe to go to the temple?'" Ghuman said.
One of the leaders who spoke on the condition of anonymity said the situation has long passed the stage of finger-pointing or name-calling.
"I understand that it's not a crime to say terrible things to someone, even in a religious center," said the man, who, out of fear of retaliation, asked that his name not be used. "But when it comes to physical violence, that's when you should do something."
The three men charged after hauling the priest from the altar were convicted of criminal harassment, the district attorney and police chief confirmed.
But many in the Sikh temple wonder why they were not accused of a more serious offense, such as assault.
"I mean, the police involved investigated and cited them for harassment, which includes shoving, kicking," Houck said. "I guess the police didn't feel it rose to the level of assault, because they kind of pushed the guy away from the [altar] and there were no injuries."
Both Houck and Colonial Regional Police Chief James DePalma categorically deny claims of inaction.
Members of the gurdwara produced security camera footage of what they say are former members appearing to break into the center while it was locked.
In a separate incident, congregants say members of the breakaway group used an electric saw to try to break in —being thwarted when the blade didn’t break the second lock. The blade fell inside the door — they have pictures of it — but they say the former members shut off the electric supply to the building before the act, which disabled security cameras.
The Sikhs say police did nothing when shown pictures of the saw blade. According to DePalma, that’s because there was no video or other evidence to demonstrate who might be responsible.
At least three of the temple members say police officers have said, “You guys all look the same,” while responding to calls at the temple. Both Houck and DePalma deny that, and they rejected suggestions that underlying racism has played a role in any official response.
They do concede one of the Sikhs’ allegations: Police are holding onto the temple's donation box.
"Yes, it's a fairly large box, not something you can pick up in your hands," DePalma said. He said during a dispute over the ownership of the box, his officers counted the money and gave both sides a receipt. Law enforcement authorities are holding it until the matter is resolved.
"I would love to get rid of it, to be honest with you," DePalma said.
Monday’s news conference featured retired Northampton County Judge Stephen Baratta, who is running for district attorney in the Democratic primary against Houck. He boiled down the battle within the gurdwara this way:
"By and large, what the disruptors and agitators are trying to do is evict the legal managers of the corporation and take over the corporation for themselves without being elected by the membership, which is illegal."
Baratta said he was invited to the news conference as a “friend of the society.”
"The people in this temple, I have found them to be very intelligent," he said. "Some are very educated. Some have successful businesses they operate, many others are professionally employed throughout the Valley. They are very engaged in the community, and I have found them to be very welcoming and respectful people."
Houck, his political opponent, was critical of Baratta's involvement, alleging he was using it as a campaign tool.
Baratta, who like Houck was a former first assistant district attorney in Northampton County, denied that.
“I knew that my involvement may be used against them by the D.A. as this crisis for the temple is occurring during the election cycle,” Baratta wrote in an email to LehighValleyNews.com.
“I spoke to the temple leadership about this very point and they seemed not to care, as they thought that I had spent the time with them to learn what happened and what the legal issues were, so they asked me to stay involved.”
Sikh community members said they appreciated Baratta’s involvement.
Who owns the temple?
The Sikhs’ roots in Lower Nazareth go back 20 years. Township supervisors in 2003 approved construction of the religious temple on more than 14 acres. It opened in 2007.
For congregants, it finally was a place in the Lehigh Valley to call their own. The closest other gurdwaras at the time were in Reading or Bridgewater, New Jersey. Before the temple was built off Daniels Road, Sikhs used to worship in the basement of an auto repair shop in Easton.
With 27 million followers, Sikhism is one of the world’s largest religions. It was founded in the 1400s in the Punjab region of South Asia by Guru Nanak, who promoted the idea of a singular God and a life of spiritual reflection and selfless service.
They are ideals that often have been interrupted by the internal strife that has plagued the Guru Nanak Sikh Society of Lehigh Valley for months.
Short, an attorney with the Norris McLaughlin firm who summoned the media last week and represents the society, produced documents showing the deed, articles of incorporation, and board documents — all showing that none of the seven disgruntled members are included.
He also provided a complaint sent to the Colonial Regional Police Department from the temple's former lawyer, specifying which people they are asking to prohibit from the property.
One is a former New Jersey high school teacher convicted of stalking one of his students last year. He served 60 days in prison and now is on probation.
Deepak Sharma, a lawyer representing that man and four of the other former temple members, declined to be interviewed for this article.
Sharma did say he believes law enforcement authorities have handled cases properly, and agrees that it is a civil matter. He also said he was not representing the group last year when the priest was removed from the altar, and "would not counsel any client to do that."
The gurdwara is a registered nonprofit, and according toIRS documents, brings in revenue of more than $100,000 in a typical year.
The leader who asked that his name not be used for fear of reprisals summed up congregants' frustrations like this:
"If you went into a Catholic church and dragged a priest off of the altar, what would happen? You'd be kicked out, right?" he said.
"That's all we want — to not be treated any differently."
