The issue is that the elders , ie representatives from all of the UK Sikh Gurdwaras , met in 2014 to discuss the issue . They decided that the Anand Karaj ceremony is a Sikh ceremony , just as a Bar Mitzvah is a Jewish ceremony , or a Confirmation is a Catholic ceremony . It includes vows of commitment to the Sikh Guru Granth Sahib Ji . But that doesn ' t mean Sikhs can ' t marry nonSikhs in a Gurdwara . Given that this was decided unanimously by this council of elders , the younger protestors are trying to uphold what was decided in that meeting . One or two Gurdwaras whose representatives had initially agreed at this meeting of elders that the Anand Karaj should be for Sikhs changed their minds . It just so happens that these few Gurdwaras are heavily in debt and charging for an Anand Karaj ceremony is a substantial income stream for them .