CatholicNews ■ Sunday September 2, 2007
(Left) The Gurdwara Sahib at
Silat Road was first built by the
Singapore Sikh Police in 1924
but subsequently renovated
and upgraded a number of
times, the last of which was on
Oct 23, 1995. It is now under
the administration of Central
Sikh Gurdwara Board and
the Central Sikh Temple.
Adjoining the temple is the
national Sikh Centre which
offers a range of facilities
including a library, a computer
room and an auditorium. The
temple was built to honour the
memory of Maharaj Singh,
a political prisoner exiled to
the island by the British but
was considered by the Sikhs
as a saintly soldier who stood
firm in his faith and fought for
religious and political freedom.
TO A SIKH, birth and death are
closely associated, because they
are both part of the cycle of human
life which itself is seen as a
transient stage towards complete
unity with God (Nirvana).
Sikhs believe in reincarnation
and mourning is discouraged,
especially in the case of those who
have lived a long and full life. ■
THE FIVE Ks are five physical
symbols worn by Sikhs who have
been ritually initiated into the
Khalsa, which was founded in 1699
by Guru Gobind Singh. The Khalsa
was founded with the intention of
reforming the Sikhs into a military
group of men and women so that
they would be able to defend their
faith as well as be bound and
united as one community. A Sikh
who wears the Five Ks shows
that he is devoted and submissive
to the guru. The Five Ks are:
–– “Kesh” (uncut hair and
beard) symbolizes discipline and
the search for spirituality
–– “Kangha” (a wooden comb
in the hair) symbolizes cleanliness
–– “Kara” (a stainless steel
bangle, usually worn on the right
hand) symbolizes the importance
the beginning of a local Sikh
THE FIRST GROUP of Sikhs
who came to Singapore were
“sepoys” or policemen recruited
in India especially to maintain
peace among the Chinese here
who were engaged in gang wars.
A Commission of Inquiry set
up by the Straits Settlements
Police Force in Singapore in
1879 recommended bringing
in a Sikh contingent from India
to strengthen the local police
force. In March 1881, 54 Sikhs
arrived from the Punjab. By
November that same year, the
full contingent of 165 Sikhs
was deployed here. This marked
The Golden
Temple, located
in Amritsar in the
state of Punjab,
India, is the most
sacred shrine of
Sikhism. Sikh
devotees, who
view the temple
as a symbol
of freedom
and spiritual
independence,
come from all
over the world to
pray here.
of righteous action, restraint and
gentility
–– “Kirpan” (a miniature steel
sword) symbolizes the defence
of and help for the weak and the
needy and standing up for the
righteous cause
–– “Kaccha” (cotton under-
garment) symbolizes chastity or
rightful sexual conduct. ■
Abortion: Abortion is generally
forbidden in Sikhism, as it is
considered to interfere in the
creative work of God who is
the creator of everything and is
present in every being.
Contraception: Sikhs have no
objection to birth control.
Euthanasia and suicide: Sikhs
have a high respect for life which
they see as a gift from God. Most
Sikhs are against euthanasia and
suicide, as they believe that the
timing of birth and death should
be left in Godʼs hands.
Just war: Sikhism has a Just War
concept called “Dharam Yudh”,
meaning war in the defence of
righteousness. Though Sikhs are
expected to take military action
against oppression, they are
strongly in favour of action to
promote human rights and harmony
between religions and states. ■
mother tongue language of the
community that continued to
grow in the years thereafter.
Within a few years they were
followed by Sikhs from other
districts in Punjab who made
their own way here to seek their
fortune and a better life.
Today there are about 15,000
Sikhs in Singapore and seven
gurdwaras. Several institutions
cater to the other needs of the
Sikh community. These include:
• The Sikh Welfare Council
that collectively serves the Sikh
community in problem issues
like drug and alcohol addiction,
domestic violence, increasing
divorce rates, elderly parents
needing care, support for
divorcees, widows, etc
• The Sikh Education
Foundation to teach Punjabi, the
WASHINGTON – The Hudson
Instituteʼs Center for Religious
Freedom presented its initial
findings regarding world trends
in religious freedom recently,
ranking countriesʼ religious
intolerance on a scale of one to
seven and naming radical Islam
as the greatest threat to religious
freedom worldwide.
The findings are part of the
centerʼs latest book, “Religious
Freedom in the World, 2007”,
which will be released next year
and analyzes 100 countries,
focusing on those countries
where religious freedom is least
protected.
Religious freedom rankings
were sorted according to
geographical regions and also by
the prevailing religion present in
each country. A score of one was
the best, while seven indicated
severe religious intolerance.
Most countries with the
poorest rankings were found in
Asia, North Africa and Eastern
birthday in December/January
Sikhs
• The Khalsa Association that
caters to the cultural and sporting
needs of the Sikh community
• The Sikh Advisory Board
that advises the Minister on
matters concerning the Sikh
religion, customs and general
welfare of the Sikh community. ■
A SIKH FESTIVAL or holy day
is called a gurpurab, meaning
guruʼs remembrance day. The
most important Sikh festival
days in Singapore are:
• Guru Nanakʼs birthday in
October/November
• Guru Gobind Singhʼs
Europe, while the best-ranked
included the United States,
Canada and countries in Western
Europe. Countries in which the
population is predominantly
Catholic or Protestant were found
to have a high degree of religious
freedom, with the exception of a
few, including Cuba, Colombia
and Zimbabwe.
Although the survey showed
that decreases in religious
freedom were often accompanied
by a national decline in economic
and political well-being, many
regimes have interests – whether
religious or political – that
are distinct from those of the
countryʼs people, he said. Several
regimes seek to cultivate their
own religious motives using the
government as their tool. Other
regimes, such as China, simply
want to control all activity within
their borders, religion included.
The study found that
restrictions on freedom of
religion to some degree affected
13
• Vaisakhi (on Apr 13/14)
commemorating the Sikh new
year and 1699, the year Sikhism
was born as a collective faith
with the setting up of the Khalsa
Brotherhood as the Sikh way of
life. Vasakhi is celebrated with
religious, cultural and sporting
events
• Installation of the Guru
Granth Sahib as the permanent
guru on Oct 20
• Diwali(or Deepavali) in
November. The Sikhs celebrate
Diwali to express the joy at
the return of the sixth guru to
Amritsar in 1620 after his release
from Gwalior Jail. Diwali means
festival of lights. So, in the
evening, illuminations are done
with diwas (oil lamps made of
clay) or candles. ■
all groups, including agnostics
and atheists. Whether a country
was predominantly secular or
favoured an established religion
had little to do with that countryʼs
record for religious tolerance.
The centre found that most
countries with high Islamic
populations typically offer the
least protection of religious
freedom, with the exception of
Mali and Senegal in East Africa.
The poorest-scoring countries
include Sudan, Uzbekistan, Saudi
Arabia, Turkmenistan and Iran. The
low ranking of Islamic nations
means that the greatest struggle for
religious freedom is being fought
within the Islamic community.
“We need to remind ourselves
that the people who are suffering
the most from this radical Islamic
jihadism are followers of Islam
who refuse to knuckle under to
this particularly virulent brand of
ideology that is being propagated
in their name,” one observer said.
■ CNS