In light of the tragic shooting at the Wisconsin Sikh Temple , HuffPost Religion offers this brief introduction to Sikhism in hopes of increasing understanding and appreciations for this great world religion. Sikhism is the fifth largest religion in the world with a population of upwards of 30 million worldwide. There are an estimated , Sikhs in the United States having first arrived in the late 19th century. Belief : Sikhism is a monotheistic religion, and the basic Sikh belief is represented in the phrase Ik Onkar meaning "One God.
Sikhism broke from Hinduism due, in part, to its rejection of the caste system. Place of worship : A Sikh place of worship is known as the gurdwara. The word gurdwara means "doorway to God. Traditionally there is no official clergy within the Sikh tradition. Sikhism also rejects the Hindu caste system, priesthood, image worship, and pilgrimage, although it retains the Hindu doctrines of transmigration and karma. Members of the Khalsa are instructed to observe the five k 's: They must wear four symbols of the Sikh faith—soldiers' shorts kaccha , an iron bangle kara , a steel sword kirpan , and a comb khanga —and they must not cut their hair kes.
History Nanak, the saintly first guru, wandered over India seeking converts. He was succeeded by nine gurus, the office staying within the family line of the fourth guru, Ram Das.
Ram Das was also the founder of the Golden Temple. The fifth, Arjan Dev, compiled the Adi Granth in As the Sikhs became a distinct religious community, they took up arms against persecution by Hindus and by Muslim rulers of the Mughal Empire. Opposing Mughal tyranny, the tenth guru, Gobind Singh, formed the Khalsa in During the decline of the Mughals, the Sikhs, led by the warrior Ranjit Singh, created a powerful state in the Punjab about that eventually threatened British-controlled India.
After internal dissension and two wars the Punjab was annexed by the British in The British governed the Sikhs fairly and, in return for their loyalty during the Sepoy Rebellion of , gave them preferential land grants. The Sikhs gained wealth and a great reputation as soldiers and policemen. During the creation of an independent India in , the Sikhs lost their privileges and found that Punjab was to be divided between India and Pakistan.
Many Sikhs migrated east to be on the Indian side of the partition. In response to years of agitation, the Indian government created Punjab as a single Punjabi-speaking state in ; it remains the home of most of India's more than 16 million Sikhs. Terrorism by Sikh separatists demanding greater autonomy led the Indian government in June to send in troops to seize the Golden Temple from Sikh extremists, who vowed to avenge the violence.
Sikh members of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's personal guard were implicated in her assassination on October In an accord was finally reached with the Indian government on expanding Punjab. Sikh terrorists then stepped up their activities, demanding the establishment of a Sikh state, Khalistan. In the government sent in police and army reinforcements and reestablished its authority in Punjab.
The Sikhism Home Page A beautiful and well put together page - the focus is mostly devotional but does include information on the Sikh alphabet Gurmukhi, essays, audio taped prayers to download, a bibliography as well as links to other online resources Maintained by Sandeep Singh Brar. By Makhan Singh Purewal. By Devinder Singh Chahal, Ph. Pecorino All Rights reserved. Web Surfer's Caveat: These are class notes, intended to comment on readings and amplify class discussion.
An updated version of this article was published on April 17, Listeners, activists and Sikhs around the country acted immediately by contacting the station to express their concerns. News outlets quickly picked up the story and the radio hosts were suspended.
Grewal is a practicing Sikh who maintains a turban and beard. Scholars and government officials estimate the Sikh American population to number around , Nevertheless for many American Sikhs, such experiences are not uncommon. As a scholar of the tradition and a practicing Sikh myself, I have studied the harsh realities of what it means to be a Sikh in America today.
I have also experienced racial slurs from a young age. The bottom line is there is little understanding of who exactly the Sikhs are and what the believe. To start at the beginning, the founder of the Sikh tradition, Guru Nanak was born in in the Punjab region of South Asia, which is currently split between Pakistan and the northwestern area of India. A majority of the global Sikh population still resides in Punjab on the Indian side of the border.
Businesses are dying in this Arizona border town. The human cost of America's immigration policy. Kamau Bell tries pharmaceutical tourism. The reservation divided by the border. The church that played a pivotal role for slaves.
Story highlights There are 25 million Sikhs in the world The religion was founded years ago Sikhs believe caste system is wrong, that everyone is equal Men often wear turbans to cover their uncut hair.
Navdeep Singh, a policy adviser to the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund, says Sikhs believe in freedom of religion, community service and inclusiveness. At temples, or gurdwaras, where Sikhs hold services, everyone is welcome. Read More. Doing good deeds is important for you to be with God after death, Johar says. Sikhs believe that if you don't live a life full of good deeds you will be reborn and repeat the circle of life and death.
There are 25 million Sikhs around the world, Singh says, about , of which live in the United States. Most Sikhs are in India. Meet the Sikh spreading his message through rap Sikhs do not have a particular day of worship, he says, but due to the American work week, Sunday is a popular day for services. Johar says his gurdwara has formal services on Wednesdays and Fridays, in addition to Sundays.
At a typical gurdwara, the doors open up at 6 a. A formal service includes the singing of hymns and a team of leaders who have studied the faith reciting from the Guru Granth Sahib, Sikhism's holy scriptures. That book, more than 1, pages long, includes writings from Sikhism's 10 gurus as well as writers from other religions.
It is an example of Sikhism inclusiveness, Johar says. At the end of the service, congregants pray for the "well-being of the world" then head to the langar, the community kitchen that serves meals for anyone who wants one.
0コメント