tough to integrate into a western country simply because the traditions that come with the Sikh faith are so polarizing.
Turbans, beards, kirpans, traditional dress.....trust me....no matter how liberal/secular your society...theirs no way that person can fit into the mainstream if the mainstream itself isnt sikh.
Why go for the mainstream? There is no standard headgear in Sweden, and beards signify nothing special. One Sikh who showed his kirpan in class caused a court process, in which it was decided that the kirpan is not a weapon banned by the (very severe) Swedish laws on carrying potentially dangerous items. The Swedish climate isn't very friendly towards Panjabi dress. A pity. I would love to see shalwar kamiiz on Swedish women as well as on the (so far, proportionally very few) Sikh women.
You stand out at every corner, face prejudice and discrimination (always at a disadvantage...be it jobs..or..getting onto a plane) and lately many people in the west are intimidated by bearded men especially with the events of 9/11. Many just dont feel comfortable around sikhs because the culture is just too polar.
Very minor problems in my country. If you're discriminated against, for reasons like gender, skin colour, faith, or whatever, there's our Discrimination Ombudsman, who in the vast majority of cases wins the trial for the offended party. There was a case, several years ago, when a Sikh was forced to quit his job as a tram driver, because he couldn't wear the compulsory uniform cap with his turban. Later, the tram company changed its rules. Evemn in the army, there are solutions for turban wearing. I also think that here, as in Britain, Sikhs are exempted from the law on motor cyclists having to wear crash helmets.
9/11, or, as we write it, 11/9, has had no major impact in any way, anywhere. The tram turban example mentioned, and the fact that Sikhs often are associated with yummy food places, link turbans to positive feelings. I don't think that Swedes in general link turbans to other groups, and in such a case discrimination still would be illegal.
and that is the summed up version of what happens if you try to retain your culture in a foreign land.... It will effect your socio-economic status regardless!
I'm not a sociologist, but I'm convinced that religion (if any) has no bearing on your social status in Sweden. It might affect your economic status - if you're in the restaurant business, a keshdari Sikh running an Indian restaurant would probably be regarded as more genuine than plain-clothes Indians and would thus attract more customers.
