Problems that sikhs face practicing their religion in Britain today Essay

Sikhism was born in the Punjab nation of Asia which falls into present day states as India and Pakistan the main religions of that prison term were Hinduism and Islam. The Sikh credit began around 500 years ago (1500 CE) when Guru Nanak started preaching a opinion that was quite an a distinct from Hinduism and Islam. Nine gurus followed Guru Nanak and developed faith over the next centuries. Sikhism is the youngest of the six piece faiths and is the second smallest of all. Sikhism was formed from Hinduism and Islam. Sikhs follow the teachings of the 10 Gurus, The Gurus (meaning religious leader) atomic number 18 non worshipped. Their teachings be recorded in the Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh Blessed book.The 2001 census recorded 336,000 Sikhs living in Britain. Britain is becoming more and more multicultural and there are more Sikhs immediately than ever before. As Britain is predominantly Christian, many a(prenominal) Sikhs face difficulties in practising their faith. L ike round other religions, Sikhs are often discriminated against in Britain today. The war on Iraq brings with it an increase in aggression towards those who apply turbans making it grievous for approximately Sikhs to show pride in their religious c handlehing. The turban has become an master(prenominal) symbol of the Sikh faith. Most Sikh men wear a turban as well as well-nigh Sikh women. Sikhs whitethorn experience slurs, isolation, hostility and sometimes even assaults just be produce of their appearance. more British people are racists and are unable to accept anybody who are of a various race, this mustiness make it precise hard for Sikhs to feel normal and at ease in the place that they live. both(prenominal) Sikh traditions embarrass non in the raw your bull and using tobacco. Sikhs dont cut their hair because they believe immortal created you with hair so that is the delegacy he must want you to look. In Britain some people may associate truly ample with existence dirty and/or un straighten, and this could likewise lead to more dissimilitude against the Sikhs. Male Sikhs wear turbans to cover their hair which can cause problems with certain types of jobs. repayable to health and safety you have to wear a helmet/hard hat on a construction/ construct site. If youre a Sikh, you are not allowed to pee con out your turban and the helmet wont fit over the top of it therefrom any strict Sikhs get out not become builders or anything associated with construction/building sites.In older times lot conductors were made to wear pates whilst working. Men with turbans were not able to wear this hat so they were not allowed to become bus conductors. Officers in the police effectiveness are also required to wear a cap/hat whilst working. Sikhs have been turned put through due to refusing to take run into their turbans so that they can work as a police officer. The UK Police have spend one hundred thousand pounds stressful to adapt a h at that pull up stakes fit over the Sikh turban. Until hence Sikhs are not allowed to join the force unless they are leave aloneing to take off their turbans.Schools in Britain teach rattling weensy on Sikhism today. The network of Sikh orginisations express the views of the Sikh community that teaching of Sikhism is be pushed out even in educates where the mass of the population are Sikhs. A dowery from a handful of schools there is little formulation for pupils to belowtake any qualifications in Sikh religious studies. in that respect are many sport professions that Sikhs are unable to take part in such as swimming and football. As a lot of Britain are sport fanatics this must be hard for Sikhs as they cannot take part in any of it. The law has been get up against helmets for Sikh motorcyclists, so that they can now ride bikes with just a turban on.Many Sikhs are vegetarians. This could be quite difficult in certain situations such as children in school or certain res taurants. Those who are not vegetarians exit only eat meat where the zoology has been killed in a certain way, unless the Sikhs slam that the animal was killed correctly then they will not eat the meat. Eating in restaurants would be tricky because theyre tall(a) to have killed their meat in the way Sikhs require.Sikh men and women who are broad members of their religion (Khalsa) wear the tailfin Ks. These represent the five articles of faith which severalize individuals as Sikhs. The five Ks described under Khalsa are KESH, KANGHA, KARA, KIRPAN and KACHERA. The Khalsa was a brotherhood of fighters who would dedicate themselves to the Sikh cause and were given certain distinctive features to localize them as Sikhs. there are five of these features, which Khalsa Sikhs wear today. They areKESH OR KESHAS long hair usually wearunder the turban to symbolise holiness.KANGA small woody comb to keep the hairtidy and symbolise purity.KARA steel bracelet/ fallal worn on the right wr ist to protect the sword arm and symboliseseternity.KIRPAN a small sword symbolising quicknessto fight oppression.KACHA or KACHERA shorts worn as an undergarment, to symbolise backlog and sexual restraint.In Britain it is illegal to head for the hills the kirpan identical to the original in creation as it is seen as dangerous. However the iniquitous justice act (1996) allows anyone to carry a blade exceeding the length of 3 inches for religious, cultural or work tie in reasons. The 2003 discrimination act safeguards the Sikhs to carry a kirpan. Some Sikhs wear a necklace that contains charms of the kanga and kirpan so that they do not look threatening.There is a case of a young woman from South Wales who was suspended from school for refusing to lead her Kara. The school claimed that her bracelet was against school rules which were put in a long time ago. The missy refused to take off her kara as she was rarefied to wear it because it reflected which religion she was part of. The school was taken to court over the breach and was declared guilty of indirect discrimination.Sikh temples are known as Gurdwaras. There are not many Gurdwaras in Britain where Sikhs can go to worship. This is a bar for the Sikhs to class period their faith as in India part of a Sikhs ritual would include attending the Gurdwara.Religious festivals such as maghi and diwali may not be attented by certain Sikhs due to work. Some jobs may not offer them the time off as Britain is more Christianity orientated with time off for Christmas and easter etc.In Conclusion I think that being a Sikh in Britain must be difficult and hard to practice and will take some get used to. Those who were born in Britain will not know any different anyway so they will be well adapted to the way in which they live. I think it is probably very hard for those who have emigrated from Asia to adapt to a new way of living.