Written by Sikh Awareness Society

Article Index
Universal Religion
Tolerance
Self-Preservation
Necessity of Expansion
Conclusion
All Pages

Is Sikhism a universal religion or a culturally specific one?

A tough question, isn't it?

What is "universal religion?"

A friend once told me that Sikhism is universal for, no matter where one travels, there is always a
Sikh who has been there before you. That may well be true, but no matter how many Sikhs can be
found in how many unexpected places this, by itself, is not universality. Rather, by universal it is
meant that the teachings of Sikhism have an appeal to mankind that can be appreciated in many
places by many diverse cultures.

The belief in one God and the equality of mankind can stir the hearts and minds of people
everywhere. That is the universality of the religion. If Sikhism has the ability to stir the hearts and
souls of all mankind, why is it still culturally specific to Punjab? Or, perhaps, one should turn the
question around to ask what has kept Sikhism from adapting to other cultures? It is only in
multiculturalism that universality can take root. The implications of universality are interaction with
other cultures and other religions. This is the crossroads that the religion of Guru Nanak has reached.

The history of Sikh interactions with other religions starts with Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism. In
his early teachings, we see him advising some Muslims that they are reading the Koran but missing
the truth within it. In another instance, he is scolding Yogis for their conceit and Brahmins for
practicing empty rituals. The Guru did not condemn any religion, but rather the hypocrisy of its
practitioners. Today, all these stern warnings can be applied to his own Sikhs, yet very few of us are
willing to see that.

As the history of Sikhism developed, so did the awareness of other religions develop in the Sikhs.
The discovery was unavoidable. In the earliest days, because of the supremacy of Mogul rule,
Muslims forced themselves on the Sikh psyche by insisting on forced conversions. The British came
later, bringing Christianity.

When the Sikhs started leaving the Asian subcontinent and dispersing to the four corners of the
world, they placed themselves in contact with new experiences with other cultures and other
religions. In Singapore they encountered Buddhism. In Saudi Arabia and the Middle East they found
Islam. In Kenya and South Africa they discovered traditional African religions and in America they
came in touch with Christianity, Judaism and secular cynicism.

Though the self-exile was voluntary, the Sikhs were ill prepared for so much upheaval and change. In
their 500-year history of interaction with other religions and cultures, Sikhs developed two distinctive
ways of coping with their problems - tolerance and self-preservation. Both of these methods of coping
have advantages as well as shortcomings. One must be careful in considering both styles in order to
come up with a workable formula that will benefit Sikhism and carry it into the next century.