What is Sikhism? | wfaa.com – Texas News Today

Members of the fifth largest religion in the world stand out in the United States. BAsk who the ut Sikhs are and what they believe in, the study Indicates that up to 70 percent of Americans cannot answer.

“On the other hand, we stand out very much with our unique identity, turban and beard,” said Simran Jeet Singh. Sikh Coalition, A non-profit organization established after September 11th tragedy.

“People definitely noticed me at the airport and on the plane, right? It stands out. At the same time, people don’t know who we are.”

today,About 30 million Sikhs worldwide.. About 1 million Sikhs live in North America.

“Whenever I have to explain who I am and what my identity is, I always tell them that the Sikhs were once warriors.“” Said Deb Bhatia, the founder of a nonprofit organization. St. Louis Sikhs..

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Sikhism, which began in the 15th century in the northern region of India known as Punjab, was founded during a time when superstition and social inequality dominated the land.

The founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak, was born into a Hindu family. From an early age, he sought to establish a belief that all people, regardless of caste or gender, would consider equality.

They called themselves Sikhs. This means “student” in Sanskrit. The term “master” means “teacher”. During the 2.5th century, there were 10 Sikhs. At the beginning of 18th century, IncludeGuruFinally inherited from the 10th Guru to the Holy OneSikhsBible,Guru Glance Sahib, This is now considered a living guru by Sikh followers.

“Sikhism is about believing in humanity. Sikhism means that there is one god. We consider humanity to be one race,” says Bhatia.

Early in its history, Sikhs had to defend their beliefs against tyranny who persecuted the Mughal Empire and religious minority groups.

At that time, Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh guru TheFormally made the turban a symbol of faith.

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“Basically, only Sikhs wear turbans,” said Vik Singh Saluja of Chesterfield, Missouri.

Vik and his wife, Pav Kaur Saluja, are Sikhs living in Chesterfield, Missouri.
They explain, other Middle Eastern and Asian cultures often wear head coverings that may be similar, but Sikh turbans are unique. It served in part as a way to identify Sikh warriors during combat.

“when [Sikhs] During the war, they couldn’t even identify who the Hindus or Muslims they were fighting against, Guru Gobind Singh The He actually turned around and said, “The way you are identified is through your turban. And if someone sees a man with a turban, they need it to go for protection. You know that you are a person. ““The pub said.

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“Nothing has changed over the years. You see Sikhs standing in the crowd and need help, you go talk to them and say,” Hey man, I Need help. You have to help me, “Batia said.

Prior to the establishment of Sikhism, turbans were worn by the upper class and cultural elite of India. The king and ruler once wore a turban. However, The central teaching of the Sikh faith is that all are equal.

To eliminate the turban-related class system, Guru Gobind Singh Ji has declared that all Sikh men or women should keep their hair uncut and wear turbans. Other purposes of the turban include protecting and keeping the long hair of Sikhs clean.

“We don’t cut our hair because God told us that we should keep our bodies as we were given by God.“Batia said. Not all Sikhs wear turbans. Some people choose to cut their hair for personal reasons.

The last Sikh gurus also rejected the caste system by giving all Sikhs the surname Singh (lion) or cowl (princess). Today, we can see that Sikhs mainly use “Shin” and “Cowl” as their middle names.

The last Sikh gurus also introduced five symbols that became markers of Sikh identity. They are called the Five “Ks” and only the most enthusiastic and devoted Sikhs retain these unique emblems of Sikh identity. They include: Uncut Hair (Kess), Short sword or knife (Kirpan), Steel wristband (Karha), Wooden comb (Kangar) Shorts worn as underwear (Kacchera).. According to the Harvard Pluralism Project, “The Five Ks constantly remind Sikhs of the ethical and spiritual implications of matching their lives with the truth.”

The last Sikh gurus also introduced five symbols that became markers of Sikh identity. They are called the Five Ks and only the most enthusiastic and devoted Sikhs retain these unique emblems of Sikh identity. They include uncut hair (Kes), short swords or knives (Kirpan), steel wristbands (Karha), wooden combs (Kangha), and shorts worn as underwear (Kacchera). .. According to Harvard’s pluralist project, The Five Ks constantly remind Sikhs of the ethical and spiritual implications of matching their lives with the truth.

Singh or cowl, Sikhs have been in the United States since the 1890s. So why are so few people knowing about Sikhs?

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“In our religious tradition, we have no history of conversion. We announce who we are and persuade others to be like us. As you know, there is no PR effort, at least traditionally within the Sikh faith, so perhaps that has something to do with why people don’t even know us. ” Jeet Singh said.

Unfortunately, when we see Sikhs in the media, it is often in the aftermath of violence. Recent examples include a mass shooting at a FedEx facility in Indiana that killed eight people. Among them-4 Sikh FedEx workers.

According to FBI hate crime data, Sikhs are the third most commonly targeted religious group in the United States, second only to Jews and Muslims.

“We have experienced a significant increase in hatred and violence since 9/11, but the increase has not slowed.“Simran Jeet Singh said.

“Since 9/11, people have seen the face of the person in charge wearing a turban,” said Vik Saluja. “Sikhs were basically half-heartedly identified or mistargeted, and were basically collateralized by anti-Muslim or anti-Muslim sentiment.”

The target of racism in the United States is constantly changing based on national and international events.

“When my dad first arrived in the 70’s, he was perceived as a threat, at least according to American sensibilities, because he looked like Ayatollah,” said Simran Jeet Singh.

“When I was growing up in the 80’s and 90’s, the enemy moved to Iraq and I was called’Saddam’. Then the 9/11 incident happened, the game changed again, and the slurs we received were “Bin Laden,” “Taliban,” and “Al Qaeda.” Racism is constantly changing and adapting, depending on who the Americans perceive the threat as. “

While the Sikhs are peacefully practicing their religion, you will also find that they are nourishing their hunger and giving back to the communities in which they live.

Through Langar’s tradition of preparing and serving free meals to promote selfless service Sikh beliefs, Sikhs serve an estimated 7 million meals per day worldwide.

The diet went to those who needed it and helped thousands of people facing food insecurity during the pandemic.

This is an important element of Batia’s work with Sikhs in St. Louis, helping to serve thousands of meals in the region.

“WWhen we serve food, we don’t see caste, we don’t see color, we don’t see religion. It’s for everyone and for everyone. We all know that actions are more eloquent than words. SSharing food with someone connects you to them, “Batia said.

Recently founded by Sikhs of India “Oxygen Langer” For covid-19 patients who have difficulty finding oxygen as the number of cases of COVID continues to increase in the country. Drive-through tents are also located outside the Sikh place of worship called Gurdwara. No one turns his back.

Through these traditions, Sikhs continue to practice their religion peacefully around the world. At the heart of their religion is their responsibility to help others.

“There is something really deep in this simple teaching that divinity exists equally in each of us,” said Simlan Ziet Singh. “If you really appreciate the goodness of everyone and the world around you, you will be able to find the silver lining and find hope, even in the most difficult moments.”