With turban, but no Quran
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talkpoliticsWhat is the motive behind the terror act in Wisconsin? (Because that is what it is). Is it hatred for Muslims, with whom the attacker erroneously associates the Sikhs? Or is it distrust to "otherness"? Or sheer ignorance? The Sikh religion is little known outside of India, and it is worth exploring more closely, because it is indeed unique in many ways. And because, as was concluded yesterday, when something different is not familiar enough, this generates distrust, and fear, and even anger, and hence, violence.
First of all, Sikhism originates from the North Indian state of Punjab. The Sikhs are about 2% of India's population. The most prominent moment in their history was in the 80s when Sikh separatists attempted to create an independent state in Punjab, the most prosperous part of India. The then PM Indira Gandhi responded by storming the sacred Sikh shrine in Amritsar, the Golden Temple. And she met the Sikh revenge in 1984 when her body-guards (who were Sikhs) assassinated her. And this led to bloody pogroms across the country.
The Sikhs who live in the US are about a quarter of a million. The first Sikhs came to America in the end of the 19th century, looking for a better life. Initially most of them were occupied in agriculture. With time they earned a positive image, accumulated wealth, and occupied high posts in society and in the administration and business. It is no coincidence that president Obama mentioned the Sikh heritage which had enriched America, and the Sikh community which had become an integral part of the great American family, when he was giving his condolence speech after the terror attack.
But what distinguishes Sikhism from other religions? First of all, roughly speaking, it is a mixture between Hinduism and Islam. It's a monotheistic religion - one God creator, the eternal deity, the source of all sources, ruling through love and harmony, and without hate and fear, a deity existing inside and beyond all creation. It is not a God of one particular nation, anyone could be SIkh as long as they observe the Sikh principles.
Guru Nanak founded Sikhism in the 16th century after rejecting the caste system that existed in India, to include a wide array of people from all parts of society, especially from the lower castes. Nanak had been disillusioned with the everyday practices in both Islam and Hinduism, seeing how ossified they had become, drowning in dogmatism, and how selfish and arrogant the clergy of both religions had become, and how much superstition was rampant in Punjab. So there is a principle of complete equality between all people at the core of this new faith, which is visible in the practice of giving the same given names to both men and women. The gender is only recognised through the surname - Sikh means lion and Kaur means princess. The teachings of guru Nanak and nine other gurus were recorded in the holy book Guru Granth Sahib.
The Sikh could be easily recognised by five main religious symbols. Kes, the uncut hair, hidden under a turban, symbolises respect to Creation. Kangha, the wooden comb, Kirpan, the special dagger symbolising the Sikh's support for the weak and poor... The simple metal bracelet Kara symbolises unity and community, and the special knee-long pants called Kaccha symbolises sexual moderation.
Women in the Sikh society are very respected, and have equal rights and status with men. The woman's soul is considered the same as the man's, and when two people marry, their souls are said to merge as one, so marriage is considered a sacred union, not a contract. The Sikh temples always have a free kitchen as a sign of solidarity and brotherhood, and all share the same food, regardless of social status. Similar to Islam, before entering the temple, the shoes must be removed and the feet washed, and the hair should be hidden (by both men and women, hence the turbans). Guru Nanak postulated that the human body is a temple, and parts of the body should never be cut off. And because he considered the hair inseparable part of the body, it could not be cut, but should be hidden. So both men and women in Sikhism conceal their hair.
It was exactly the turbans that probably confused the ignorant individual who attacked the Sikh temple in Wisconsin. The Sikhs have often been subject to misunderstandings due to their traditional garment. Especially after the 9-11 attacks, the Sikhs in the West have often felt discriminated against, because of guilt by association with Osama bin Laden, Al Qaeda, and Muslim terrorism. With which they of course have no relation. Just on the contrary. Despite that episode in the 80s, Sikhism preaches universal love and brotherhood between all people, regardless of their faith.
The Sikhs in many Western countries are already 2nd, 3rd and further generation immigrants. There is a current process of rediscovering religion in many of those societies (and in the East of course), speaking more generally, and this of course includes Sikhism as well. Andre Malraux, the French novelist, famously prophesised in the 60s that "religion will be the measure of humanity in the 21st century". And indeed, the children of 2nd and 3rd generation Sikhs are not an exclusion from this overall tendency. There is a sense of nostalgic "neo-orthodoxy restoration" sweeping through many developed societies, the youth seeking for ways to rediscover the traditional principles and adapt them to the modern times. This is especially valid in immigrant communities who are searching for their new modern identity in their new host societies... And the youngest monotheistic religion of the East, Sikhism, has also experienced such a revival. Perhaps this is what has caused concerns in some paranoid circles who see a threat to the Western society, and it was a matter of time before some nut turned those fears to action. The sad thing, I am afraid, is that this is not the first, and will hardly be the last such occasion.
First of all, Sikhism originates from the North Indian state of Punjab. The Sikhs are about 2% of India's population. The most prominent moment in their history was in the 80s when Sikh separatists attempted to create an independent state in Punjab, the most prosperous part of India. The then PM Indira Gandhi responded by storming the sacred Sikh shrine in Amritsar, the Golden Temple. And she met the Sikh revenge in 1984 when her body-guards (who were Sikhs) assassinated her. And this led to bloody pogroms across the country.
The Sikhs who live in the US are about a quarter of a million. The first Sikhs came to America in the end of the 19th century, looking for a better life. Initially most of them were occupied in agriculture. With time they earned a positive image, accumulated wealth, and occupied high posts in society and in the administration and business. It is no coincidence that president Obama mentioned the Sikh heritage which had enriched America, and the Sikh community which had become an integral part of the great American family, when he was giving his condolence speech after the terror attack.
But what distinguishes Sikhism from other religions? First of all, roughly speaking, it is a mixture between Hinduism and Islam. It's a monotheistic religion - one God creator, the eternal deity, the source of all sources, ruling through love and harmony, and without hate and fear, a deity existing inside and beyond all creation. It is not a God of one particular nation, anyone could be SIkh as long as they observe the Sikh principles.
Guru Nanak founded Sikhism in the 16th century after rejecting the caste system that existed in India, to include a wide array of people from all parts of society, especially from the lower castes. Nanak had been disillusioned with the everyday practices in both Islam and Hinduism, seeing how ossified they had become, drowning in dogmatism, and how selfish and arrogant the clergy of both religions had become, and how much superstition was rampant in Punjab. So there is a principle of complete equality between all people at the core of this new faith, which is visible in the practice of giving the same given names to both men and women. The gender is only recognised through the surname - Sikh means lion and Kaur means princess. The teachings of guru Nanak and nine other gurus were recorded in the holy book Guru Granth Sahib.
The Sikh could be easily recognised by five main religious symbols. Kes, the uncut hair, hidden under a turban, symbolises respect to Creation. Kangha, the wooden comb, Kirpan, the special dagger symbolising the Sikh's support for the weak and poor... The simple metal bracelet Kara symbolises unity and community, and the special knee-long pants called Kaccha symbolises sexual moderation.
Women in the Sikh society are very respected, and have equal rights and status with men. The woman's soul is considered the same as the man's, and when two people marry, their souls are said to merge as one, so marriage is considered a sacred union, not a contract. The Sikh temples always have a free kitchen as a sign of solidarity and brotherhood, and all share the same food, regardless of social status. Similar to Islam, before entering the temple, the shoes must be removed and the feet washed, and the hair should be hidden (by both men and women, hence the turbans). Guru Nanak postulated that the human body is a temple, and parts of the body should never be cut off. And because he considered the hair inseparable part of the body, it could not be cut, but should be hidden. So both men and women in Sikhism conceal their hair.
It was exactly the turbans that probably confused the ignorant individual who attacked the Sikh temple in Wisconsin. The Sikhs have often been subject to misunderstandings due to their traditional garment. Especially after the 9-11 attacks, the Sikhs in the West have often felt discriminated against, because of guilt by association with Osama bin Laden, Al Qaeda, and Muslim terrorism. With which they of course have no relation. Just on the contrary. Despite that episode in the 80s, Sikhism preaches universal love and brotherhood between all people, regardless of their faith.
The Sikhs in many Western countries are already 2nd, 3rd and further generation immigrants. There is a current process of rediscovering religion in many of those societies (and in the East of course), speaking more generally, and this of course includes Sikhism as well. Andre Malraux, the French novelist, famously prophesised in the 60s that "religion will be the measure of humanity in the 21st century". And indeed, the children of 2nd and 3rd generation Sikhs are not an exclusion from this overall tendency. There is a sense of nostalgic "neo-orthodoxy restoration" sweeping through many developed societies, the youth seeking for ways to rediscover the traditional principles and adapt them to the modern times. This is especially valid in immigrant communities who are searching for their new modern identity in their new host societies... And the youngest monotheistic religion of the East, Sikhism, has also experienced such a revival. Perhaps this is what has caused concerns in some paranoid circles who see a threat to the Western society, and it was a matter of time before some nut turned those fears to action. The sad thing, I am afraid, is that this is not the first, and will hardly be the last such occasion.
(no subject)
Date: 16/8/12 13:28 (UTC)"Sikhs differ from Arabs in many aspects. While Arab is a term for people from a certain region, Sikhs are member of a religion called Sikhism. Sikhs live in different region and country than Arabs; have different religion, culture, food, and language than Arabs."
It's sad that someone has to explain all this in terms fit for first-graders, so it could be properly understood, probably, maybe. I don't know how many times it has to be repeated so it could sink in.
(no subject)
Date: 16/8/12 13:32 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 16/8/12 18:28 (UTC)My youngest d-i-l's parents are Sikhs and they are a fascinating "people".
My only real comment on the whole "he thought they were muslim" thing; is that for the perpetrator I doubt that it really mattered. It's a lot more difficult to tell a Sikh from a Hindu than from a Muslim. People who have enough hate as to resort to violence will use any excuse available.
(no subject)
Date: 16/8/12 18:37 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 16/8/12 19:05 (UTC)sheikhsSikhs are, that is.(no subject)
Date: 17/8/12 00:24 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 17/8/12 06:05 (UTC)Ooh I got a B+! =))
(no subject)
Date: 17/8/12 11:18 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 17/8/12 01:15 (UTC)The most prominent incident of Sikh terrorism for Canadians is probably the bombing of Air India Flight 182 in 1985 by a Sikh militant group, killing 329 people . The issue of honour killings has also arisen in connection with Sikhs in Canada, for example, the case of Amandeep Kaur Dhillon. However, these are not viewed as being representative of the community as a whole.
(no subject)
Date: 18/8/12 16:02 (UTC)