“Once the games is over the king and the pawn goes in the same box.” (picture quotes) Hair and beard are my legacy which stands for justice. My turban, traditionally crowned right. My temple has four doors open to religion, caste, race, and color. I proudly call myself a Sikh. Sikhism started five hundred years ago. It is the fifth largest religion with most of its followers in India. There are about a million Sikhs living in North America. Sikhs arrived in North America in 1897. Sikhs established their first gurdwara (place of worship) in the Stockton, California in 1906. Sikhs place of worship and community center are nearly in every major city.
Most people in North America wonder who are these people with turbans and long beards. Are they
…show more content…
Sikhs are victims of hate crimes. They are being prejudged. For example, according to NBC News a Sikh actor Waris Ahluwalia was a victim of social injustice. A poster of him in Gap clothes was advertised across the United States Gap advertised with Waris because it was a part a "Make Love" campaign. People abused him when they would cross out "Make Love" and wrote "Make Bombs." He was also mistreated when he was not allowed to board his New York flight because he refused to take off his turban in public. He was scanned and patted down, but was still not let on board his flight to New York. In fact, today 41 percent of Sikhs in New York get misjudged by being called “terrorist” or “Osama Bin Laden”. It is not about getting revenge or about being Sikhs, but more importantly, it is about providing education for races. It is not about an ethnic stereotype and racism, but more about finding the solution for peace. H.G Wells once said, “our true nationality is …show more content…
However, in the same area there are also substantial numbers of Hindus and Muslims. Before 1947, when the Muslim community demanded a separate country for Muslims, the Sikh leaders became concerned that their community’s homeland would be disrupted because of the division between the Muslims and the Hindus. The Sikh leaders then put forward the idea of Khalistan. It would have become a small part of the greater Punjab region. After the dividing of Punjab was announced, many of the Sikhs moved away from the Punjab in the Pakistani area because it was to become the Lahore region. When Punjab became a Sikh majority state, then the Sikhs requested Punjab become a country called Khalistan. For example, according to sikhiwiki ”Jawaharlal Nehru reiterated Gandhi’s assurance to the Sikhs at the All India Congress Committee meeting in Calcuatta in 1946. He declared: The brave Sikhs of Punjab are entitled to special consideration. I see nothing wrong in an area and a set-up in the North wherein the Sikhs can experience the glow of freedom.” The promise was made by both Nehru and Gandhi but not delivered. The Indian government initially rejected the demand. Subsequently, the Sikh leaders started demanding more freedom for the state, since the government was discriminating against the Sikhs and Punjab itself. After a series of protests, violent action was taken against the Sikhs to stop them from protesting. In fact, about
"Sikh Awareness." Sikh Awareness. © 2002-2012 THE SIKH COALITION, 12 Oct. 2001. Web. 24 Mar. 2014.
Sikhism is free from any claims and dogmas. To attain salvation, Sikhism rejects all rites, rituals, and fasts. It rejects the claims of mortification of body, self-torture, penance or renunciation. It does not believe in worship of gods and goddesses, stones, statues, idols, pictures, tombs or crematoriums. Devotees are supposed to desist from working miracles, uttering blessings and curses, and believing in omens. They wear God's name as a necklace and try to practice Nam (remembrance of God's name), Dan (charity) and Ishnan (purity), truthfulness and openness, self-restraint in temper, labor for the purpose of mutual benefit, profitable and edifying speech, humility and forbearance.
This paper was written to give you a better idea of the presence and practices of Sikhism in Canada. It will also introduce you to the controversies they face being in a religion that is meant to differentiate, and how difficult that can be for them in a country with a strong western culture. First you will learn of the statistics and demographics of Sikh’s in Canada. Secondly, a bit of history will be introduced which will give a better idea of their culture. Thirdly, a better picture of their culture and religion will be painted when their common religious practices are described. Finally, the three largest controversies facing Sikh’s in Canada will be introduced and a brief description of them are given.
Sikhism is the 5th largest religion in the world, but many people don’t know about Sikhism. Many people mistake Sikhs for terrorists due to their turbans. Sikhism is a monotheistic religion originating from Punjab, India. Sikhs do not cut their hair, and proudly wear turban as part of their religious and cultural heritage. It’s been about 13 years since 9/11 attack happened, but its affects can still be seen in modern USA. There are still many cases reported every year of killing of innocent people that are mistaken as terrorists. The Sikh Coalition, the group created after the ill-fated 9/11, said that almost 900 incidents have been reported in which American Sikhs are bullied and killed since 9/11. Just after an hour of 9/11 attack, Sikhs in New York were harassed, assaulted and beaten with bats. In fact, Muslims and Hindus were also tortured and killed after 9/11, and till today there are cases of bullying Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs in almost the whole America. During the weekend of ill-fated 9/11, Balbir Singh Sodhi, an Arizona Sikh, was gunned down wh...
During the Cold War, many regional conflicts occurred and were noted as the significant battles which later led to decolonization. One of the regional conflicts were India and Pakistan fighting for their independence. In 1947, India was released under Great Britain’s control and gained its independence. However, the country was divided between Muslims and Hindus, which share different religions. Muslims wanted church and state to become unified while Hindus wanted a separation of these two establishments. Since these two ethnic groups disagreed, it was difficult to create a new government. Therefore, India was divided into two nations: India for the Hindus and Pakistan for the Muslims. Hindus and Muslims were racing to the border in order to get to their nation state which led to killing 500,000 people due to rioting. Although, Mohandas Gandhi, an Indian National Congressman, wanted to obtain peace between these two religions. Pakistan refused the H...
"God Willed that as a true Sikh I should look upon all religions with one eye".
However, this arrangement did not last for too long. As in April of 1848, a war erupted among the Sikhs and British. At the end of this war, Sikh kingdom was annexed and Maharaja Dalip Singh was sent out of Punjab to FatehGadh (Uttar Pradesh, dist.
The Prince of Kashmir chose India but Pakistan invaded the province soon after and have occupied part of Kashmir since then. Controversy still surrounds the province today because naturally, Muslims want to control it. While many Muslims relocated to Pakistan and the Hindus to India, half of the Muslim population was left in India and their relations did not improve after being partially separated.
CHUNG, AMY. "Turban vs. hard hat." Sikh takes discrimination case before human rights tribunal. 27 JANUARY 2007: n. page. Web. 2 Feb. 2014. .
Religion is a big part of our world, as it dictates our beliefs and how we act towards other people. Though all religions have different beliefs, it is the core values of that religion that shape the way we act as people towards other humans, plants and animals. This essay will be looking at Christianity and Sikhism and how the core values of each of these religions compare to each other. Firstly looking at a brief summary of Sikhism and Christianity and a look at their beliefs. Then looking at the core values as protrayed by Christianity and Sikhism. Finally then comparing the core values of Sikhism and the core values of Christianity.
“I would like to see the Punjab, NWFP, Sind, Baluchistan combined into a single state as a self-government within the British Empire or without. This is the final destiny of the Muslims of North West
Sikh extremism enters mainstream Canadian politics. (2007, June 28). Retrieved December 4, 2009, from Canadian Broadcasting Corporation: http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/sikh-politics-canada/index.html
1909-Revocation of Partition of Bengal. Creates anti-British and anti-Hindu sentiments among Muslims as they lose their majority in East Bengal.
The Gurdwara is a sacred temple where Sikh goes to worship God. This temple is located in Riverside around Mission Blvd. The temple is a white house style building with brick walls surrounding the area. On April 26, 2015, around 7a.m I observed people coming to the temple taking off their shoes before entering the Gurdwara. I noticed every single person took off their shoes and walked inside barefoot.
McLeod, W. H. (2004). Sikhs and Sikhism. Oxford India paperbacks. New Delhi: Oxford University Press.