Sikh struggles in India and U.S. Essay -- Culture Cultural Papers

Sikh struggles in India and U.S. John from the Sikh religion kills Peter, a government official. David, another government official, kills Paul for being a Sikh. John is convicted but David is not. What about when an Indian comes to the U.S.? Indians have changed their cultural traditions so that their family can be accepted and their kids are not made fun of for being "different." These fictional names and situation has occurred to the Sikh religion. It has gone through political issues in India and cultural problems in the U.S. Sikhism, a religion that originated in India, and especially in the state of Punjab which currently is 60% Sikhs and 36% Hindus. Two centuries have past and Sikhism has become the third major religion of India according to Edward A. Gargan in "Though Sikh Rebellion Is Quelled, India's Punjab State Still Seethes" (A8). According to Sikh Missionary Center in Sikh Religion, Guru Nanak founded the Sikh religion, which consists of ten Gurus (1469-1708). The last one proclaimed the Guru Granth Sahib is the Holy Scripture. The Sikh Missionary Center also describes the characteristics of this religion as the rebirth to a less important position is a punishment, to live is a blessing and salvation is achieved by meditating on Nam" (5). Guru Nanak or Baba Nanak can be considered the Jesus of the Sikh religion. According to Donald Lopez S. Jr. in Religious of India in Practice, Nanak was born in Punjab in 1469 and died in 1538 or 1539 (449). He was raised Hindu in a Muslim area of India and believed in a religion from within, not like Hindus and Muslim that believe in liberation: renouncing external features of the religion (Lopez 449). One tale about Nanak involves a time when he encountered some peopl... ... Edward A. "Though Sikh Rebellion Is Quelled, India’s Punjab State Still Seethes." New York Times 26 Oct. 1993: A1, A8. Goodstein, Laurie. "At camps, young U.S. Sikhs cling to heritage." New York Times 18 Jul. 1998: A1, A7. Juergensmeyer, Mark and Barrier. G. Sikh Studies. Berkeley: Graduate Theological Union, 1979. Lopez, Donald S. Jr.. Religions of India in Practice. Princeton: Princeton UP, 1995. Mansukhani, Late S. Gobind Singh. "Introduction to Sikhism." New Delhi: Hemkunt, 1977. Online. (12 Mar. 2000). <http://photon.bu.edu/~rajwi/sikhism/mansukh7.html#q125>. Perez-Pena, Richard. "Sink Temple Helps To Bind A Community In Mourning." New York Times 27 Nov. 1994: 53. Sikh Missionary Center. Sikh Religion. Arbor: Braum-Brumfield, 1990. Singh, Teja. Sikhism Its Ideals and Institutions. Bomby Calcutta Madias New Delhi :Orient Longmans, 1951.