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. From a young age, Guru Nanak was disillusioned by the social inequities and religious hypocrisies he observed around him.
He believed that a single divine force created the entire world and resided within it. In his belief, God was not separate from the world and watching from a distance, but fully present in every aspect of creation. To maintain the interest of young people, however, the lectures and talks are often in English.
Indeed, this struggle to maintain the traditional language is only part of the struggle to maintain a flourishing tradition. Most Sikhs in the United States have made it their permanent home and have become American citizens. They strive to be a part of the American context while maintaining their Sikh identity. Even so, Sikhs sometimes experience discrimination because of their distinctive appearance. In the mids, litigation was launched over the right to wear a turban on a hardhat job or in the U.
Army with their Sikh articles of faith intact. This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets CSS enabled. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience.
Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets CSS if you are able to do so. This page has been archived and is no longer updated. Find out more about page archiving. Sikh Beliefs Last updated This article looks at Sikh beliefs about God, karma, death and rebirth.
On this page Page options Print this page. God There is only one God God is without form, or gender Everyone has direct access to God Everyone is equal before God A good life is lived as part of a community, by living honestly and caring for others Empty religious rituals and superstitions have no value Living in God and community Sikhs focus their lives around their relationship with God, and being a part of the Sikh community.
God and the cycle of life Sikhs believe that human beings spend their time in a cycle of birth, life, and rebirth. The God of grace Sikh spirituality is centred round this need to understand and experience God, and eventually become one with God.
As mentioned earlier, Sikhism is a monotheistic religion that believes in One Supreme Creator that is the same for all people of all religions. The followers of Sikhism believe in three basic principles, which include: meditating on the divine name, earning a living by honest means, and the importance of performing good actions rather than carrying out any elaborate rituals such as fasting, visiting pilgrimages, idol worship, superstitions, etc.
Moreover, Sikhism rejects the caste and class systems and preaches that people of different caste, sex, races, and religions are all equal in the eyes of God and therefore emphasizes service to humanity. Any Sikh is free to read the holy scripture in a Gurudwara or the confines of their home. People from all walks of life and belonging to any religious faith can visit the Gurudwara and a free community kitchen langar can be found at all Gurudwaras which serves meals to the people.
The highly revered Harmandir Sahib Gurudwara or the Golden Temple, situated in the city of Amritsar in the Indian State of Punjab, is regarded as one of the holiest spiritual shrines of Sikhism. The Harmandir Sahib Gurudwara is regarded as one of the most visited gurudwaras and is visited by more than , people daily.
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