Posted on 07/18/2005 8:36:53 AM PDT by indcons
He happens to be a clean shaven sikh.
There was a Sikh physician around here whose family was the frequent target of hate crimes, because people thought they were Muslims. The KKK even burned a cross on their yard. (But I'm sure the KKK would've done that regardless.) They finally moved away from the area. It's a shame. He was a wonderful physician.
That is a shame.
Thanks!
The turban isn't determinative of whether you are Sikh. Lots of Sikhs don't wear turbans. And lots of other groups wear turbans. But if your name is Singh -- you're a Sikh.
Somebody upthread wrote that the Sikh religion was a branch of Hinduism. Actually, that is only partially true. Sikhism is a syncretistic religion, combining elements of Bhakti Hinduism and the Sufi branch of Islam. There was also something upthread about the supreme insult for a Sikh being mistaken for a Muslim. Actually, Sikhs would prefer not being mistaken for either Muslims or Hindus. There is a long standing thread of enmity between Sikhs and Hindus. (Hindus destroyed the Golden Temple of Amritsar, the holiest shrine of Sikhism back in the 80's.) The fact that a Sikh is the PM of India is a a good sign -- maybe an indication that some of the worst of the "communal" violence between the various Indian groups is over.
"There is a long standing thread of enmity between Sikhs and Hindus. (Hindus destroyed the Golden Temple of Amritsar, the holiest shrine of Sikhism back in the 80's.) "
Hindus did no such thing. Pl dont spread false ideas.
I have had this question for some time. Why are most Sikhs named Singh which I understand means lion? And how are they distinguished from one another if their names are all the same?
IIRC,the man who founded Sikhism,Guru Nanak wanted a religion free from all impurities of caste & in North India,it's still a practise among Hindus to have their caste name as their last name(Yadav,Rajput etc).The use of a word like Singh eliminates that & also reflects the independent & warrior nature of Sikhs(embodied by the lion).Quiet a few Sikhs use their village name or extended family name along with their original names as a matter of distinction.
Thanks for the info.
I am aware that Sikhs are considered good warriors and many are in the army and act as palace guards.
I believe some observe the religious custom of not cutting their hair. So they wear a turban.
" But if your name is Singh -- you're a Sikh."
Wrong. Although all Sikhs are Singh, not all Singh are Sikhs. It has nothing to do with Sikhism. Sikhs just adopted it to get rid of their original caste last name.
Singh has ALWAYS been Rajput! Not Sikh. My last name is Singh and I am not a Sikh. Most Pahari Rajputs are Singh.
"IIRC,the man who founded Sikhism,Guru Nanak wanted a religion free from all impurities of caste & in North India,it's still a practise among Hindus to have their caste name as their last name(Yadav,Rajput etc).The use of a word like Singh eliminates that & also reflects the independent & warrior nature of Sikhs(embodied by the lion)."
No. Singh does NOT eliminate caste. In fact, its very meaning is rooted in caste. Especially the warrior caste. Singh denotes warrior caste and was in use long before Sikhism was born. Since most Sikhs were converts from the warrior caste, they used Singh. And all Sikhs, regardless of their caste, started using Singh.
It is spreading misinformation to say Singh came out of nowhere. It was used by Rajputs long before Sikhism.
"generally if you wear a turban, you're a sikh."
No. Generally if you wear a turban, it means you are from a warrior class of North India. It happened that Sikhs wear turban religiously and are associated with it. But the fact is that Rajputs wore turban long before Sikhism.
My point is that you can't use dress as features of a religious community. Look at Rajputs from Rajasthan. They all wear turban and none of them are Sikhs.
Nobody said it eliminates caste,but asking your followers to use the same name means that their castes lose weightage.
Yes, that was the intention. But, the name "Singh" itself is as much castiest as "Yadav" or "Gopal". All denote caste character and/or occupations.
Curry (Kerry?) makes you stink.
Love the menu!!!
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