What Is The Impression About Sikh Religion Created By Its Highly Visible Members?

[harbansj24]

The impression among millions of ordinary Sikhs is that, hardly any of visible members of its community are showing up Sikh religion in its proper light. The Sikh community feels badly let down by these people.

• They display arrogance
• Consume intoxicants
• Mistreat women
• Do not help fellow human being in distress
• Follow corrupt practices
• Practice castesism
• Use abusive language and threaten violence.

By common knowledge these practices are strictly forbidden by Sikh religion.
The honorable exception is Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. He cannot be linked with any of the above.
Also millions of ordinary Sikhs are not guilty of the above practices and also faithfully follow the Guru Nanak Dev ji's simple prescription of Naam japna, Kirit Karna and Vand Chakhna along with SRM.

But the world at large only sees the misdeeds of prominent Sikhs and links it with Sikh community and Sikh religion.

The Akali party which claims to be founded on Sikh tenets cannot hold up a single person as model of Sikh ideals!

So is it not a tragedy that large number of very vocal, assertive and influential members of this community are not able to project this noble religion in its true light both in their utterances and deeds?


Any ideas anyone?


Harbans Singh

 

[spnadmin]

Harbansj ji

To start -- Is the problem one of invisible Sikhs? Or the tendency of media to find controversy and aim the camera at that? I am puzzled also because just in the SPN forum we have dozens of stories about Sikhs who are achievers, humanitarians, and people of honor. In the news we read nothing about them. Just my 2 cents to quote respected Tejwant ji. There may be more than one answer to your question. And more than one answer to mine. Sat Nam

 

[harbansj24]

Narayanjot ji,

Why do Sikhs always try to look externally for all their problems? Why do we have this perception that the whole world is ganging up against us to give us a bad name?

On our own we will never get together and project the great ones among us. And if any one from outside picks up an achiever among us, we promptly disown him.
Just look at Bengalis. Try to find fault with Rabindranath Tagore, Subhas Chandra Bose or even Saurav Ganguly and you will have all the Bengalis screaming for your head.

Other than our 10 Gurus can all the Sikhs agree on the greatness of some among us?
A few months back we had the ridicules spectale of Jathedar of Akal Takht Joginder Singh Vedanti being sacked just because he praised Manmohan Singh!
Is it because we are all "Sardars" and cannot tolerate one among us being projected as a greater "Sardar"? Pardon me, these are harsh words but we need to seriously look ourselves first before we can point fingures at others.

It is in a situations like these that the scum rises to the top and grabs all the prominence and brings bad name to an otherwise an incomparable community.

Harbans Singh

 

[Hardip Singh]

Narayanjot ji,

Is it because we are all "Sardars" and cannot tolerate one among us being projected as a greater "Sardar"? Pardon me, these are harsh words but we need to seriously look ourselves first before we can point fingures at others.

It is in a situations like these that the scum rises to the top and grabs all the prominence and brings bad name to an otherwise an incomparable community.

Harbans Singh

Harbans Singh jee,
That's the real fact. We are all Sardars but not Guru's Sikhs
Hardip Singh