My Religion-Sikhism In Schools

Those who are raised within one religious tradition may find it difficult to understand the traditions of another religion. It is not until one is educated in the basics of the other major world religions, that it is possible to see the many similarities between them. Just as there are many similarities between the countries culturally, the major religions share more things than they are different. In viewing Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism with an open mind, it is easy to see the differences, similarities and ideals that make these religions as widespread as they are.

Unlike other religions, Sikh faith is not dogmatic; it is a distinct and unique religion. The Sikh Scripture is true "Religion of Self" where everyone has a personal relationship with God. It does not place any emphasis on pilgrimage, praying in a particular direction, praying on a particular day, fasting, meaningless rituals, idol worship, superstition, body mutilation, asceticism or celibacy.

Sikhism is the religious faith of those who call themselves Sikhs, the followers of Guru Nanak, his nine successors and their teachings, embodied in the Guru Granth Sahib, the sacred scripture of the Sikhs. The Sikh population worldwide at the beginning of the twenty-first century was estimated at 20 million; of these, 17 million reside in India, with 14 million living in Punjab. Of the 2 million or so Sikhs who live outside India, the Sikh diaspora, the majority are in Great Britain, the United States, and Canada.

After witnessing my brother go through that discrimination, I never corrected my teachers about my ethnicity. If they thought I was Caucasian, and the majority of the time they did; I went along with that. The true test came during my seventh-grade year when my history teacher was teaching us about different religions and he asked the class, “How many of you are Muslim?” No one raised their hand, so I kept my hand down as well. I remembered when my brother faced bigotry from his teacher, so fear kept me from putting my hand up. When he asked, “How many of you are Catholic?” I saw the majority of the class raise their hand, so I pressured to raise my hand. I was willing to change my religion at that moment just to prevent any prejudice from coming my way. It only emphasized how embarrassed I was of my own

Growing up in America you get introduced and exposed to new ideas and cultures everyday. Especially living in Los Angeles which is a melting pot of many different cultures and beliefs. It’s difficult to think of a time I’ve had a problem or struggle with a new experience. However, I have had a minor struggle with the feeling acceptance in different cultures. Facing new experiences can be amazing and a way of learning new ideology and beliefs. Different cultures have many different ways of thinking and have different belief systems and it can be difficult to fit in properly. With the experiences I have faced I try to enjoy and respect them as much as possible but, there is still a small feeling of not truly fitting in. I’ve learned to overcome

Sikhs believe that you reap what you sew. If you do something bad then eventually that bad deed will catch up to you and you will pay for it. Such ideas are expressed through karma, much like the Hindu belief in karma, Sikhs belief in many lives after death as a result of the karma in the life you just lived. Sikhs disagree with Hinduism when it comes to karma in that they do not believe that people are defenseless beings. In Sikhism the cycle of life and death is regarded as the ultimate punishment and can only be overcome if they conduct themselves in line with the teachings of the Gurus by being Guru-oriented as opposed to being self-oriented (Kalsi,225). In Hinduism there are many gods that are worshiped and many pictures of these gods which is not accepted in Sikhism. The Gurus in Sikhism are considered to be disciples of god but not god himself therefore is not to be worshiped. They were not to be considered divine but enlightened teachers (“History of Sikhism”,

At the age of 11, my life took a turn. To others, immigration was moving from country to country, but to me, it meant leaving my friends and family behind. On August 7, 2012 we moved to Canada. With all the challenges I was facing from immigration the biggest challenge was finding my identity in which I felt comfortable and knew I belonged. When I came from Pakistan I wore hijab. I was born in the year of 9/11 and that time my dad used to live in America when I grew up, my dad used to tell me what happened to Muslims in America after 9/11 so when my parents told me we were moving to Canada I was frightened to even though I knew that Canada is a different country and it both accepts and respects people of different origin. So when I moved to Canada I knew I had the decision to make, a decision about my identity, decision about who I want to be seen as.

Growing up as a first generation Pakistani American Muslim not only came with the benefits of being exposed to different cultures, but it also came with a continuing challenge to incorporate the two cultures and my religion into the society we lived in. There was always a need to be more American, more Pakistani, while respecting the boundaries of religion. When we went to school, we weren’t American enough, when visiting Pakistan we were often labeled with the acronym ABCD- American Born Confused Desi. We were neither here, nor there. No matter how hard we tried to assimilate into the two societies, we could feel the absence of understanding and acceptance. This search for an identity not only allowed me to easily interact with people facing similar dilemmas, but it allowed me to embrace culture, religion, and people that were different.

A festival is a celebration of life. Festival is harmonious, rich, varied and colorful. A festival is a celebration which breaks the tedium of life. They bring peace and joy to the multitudes. Festival provide as symbol to the cultural, social and domestic life of the people. There are different kinds of festivals celebrated around this world. There are festivals based on legends or persons believed to be blessed with supernatural powers. It is a belief that by praying legends you get the gratuity of wishes and avoiding off troubles. Another kind of festival celebrated is Religious festivals. Religious festivals are celebrated with

Sikh leaders, Senators and representatives provided assistance by signing a letter that aided in changing the minds of the military. Articles of faith are seen as an extension of the Soldier versus a threat to regulations and standards of the military. Sikhs are often mistaken as Muslim extremist because of the way they dress. Time, communication and education has changed the minds of decision makers to understand that the way a person dresses does not constitute their behavior or intentions. Sikhs maintain their hair and beard in a neat presence and abide by regulations as

Throughout my elementary school years, I went to an all-Muslim school. Most of my friends and teachers were Muslims, so my transition into a traditional public middle school felt overwhelming. I was not prepared for the following years of criticism I would endure simply because of my background. In a post-9/11 world, I grew up having to accept my religion publically being viewed as a symbol for hate, yet I was raised knowing that my religion was synonymous with peace and love. Throughout my pre-teen and early teenage years, I found out that many people believed that Muslims were not American or that Muslims could not have an American identity. It is for that reason I felt that it was my duty as a Muslim-American to open up the conversation

The Sikhs are devotees to Sikhism, Sikhism is the youngest of the world’s religion with 25 million followers. Sikhism is only five hundred years old. The founder of Sikhism is Guru Nank, he was born in 1469. Guru Nank spoke a message of “Ek Ong Kar”: we are all one, created by the One Creator of all Creation. Guru Nank was the first of the ten Gurus in Sikhism. Throughout my research I have discovered what each Guru represents to the Sikh community and where Sikhism originated from. The appearance of Sikh devotees is a very important part of the Punjabi Sikh culture. Sikhs are very misunderstood in America and when people see images of Sikhs they are often mistaken for Muslims or terrorists, which often times leads to hate crimes. I’ll be focusing on the history of the Sikhism, Sikhs appearance, ethnocentrism, and cultural relativism. In the end I would like my audience to have an understanding of the Sikh religion, ethnocentrism, and cultural relativism.

Within the past couple of weeks, I had the opportunity to engage in a religious minority event. I attended the Hillel Jewish Center here on Purdue’s campus. Hillel is the largest Jewish campus organization in the world, and I found it very fascinating that I got to take part in this new learning experience. I am from a small town where everyone knows everyone, and there is very little diversity in race or ethnic groups. I was raised in a Christian family and I attended church every Sunday. I have never been around such diversity until I came to Purdue. Through my education classes, and the events that I have attended on campus my cultural knowledge has grown so much since I first started attending Purdue. I had very little knowledge of the

As a Christian coming from the Islamic dominated Middle East, I not only bring the unique ethnical and socioeconomic background, but also a slew of life experiences. Along with my experiences, my diverse college studies bring a distinctive well-roundedness to an incoming student cohort. Growing up as a Christian in an Islamic culture, I learnt what it means to belong to a persecuted misunderstood minority. This gave me a unique understanding of dealing with the multitude of minorities in our society. It is almost impossible to describe the feelings and the pressures that affect those who are living as minorities in a society. Those feelings can only be understood through first-hand experience. Therefore, I am able to bring this unique experience

I was born into a family of mixed cultures and religions. My father was Christian and my mother was of an Islamic descent. I was always respectful to any religion, regardless of it’s beliefs, because it is a symbol of devotion and peace. When I grew up, I was fascinated to see how quickly Islam started to spread in Western parts of the world. My fascination was also followed by disbelief of how ignorant and cruel anti-islamic activists were, blaming every single act of terror and violence onto a religious group. I could believe it on a global scale, but I never knew it was something that could wait for anyone wearing hijab, right around the corner. In my first semester at Hawaii Pacific University, I decided to wear hijab to school, just