Spot a mistake...

[S1ngh]

Its game time, lets see who can spot the mistake:

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Police learn about Sikh religion

http://www.connpost.com/Stories/0,1413,96~...1679894,00.html

By GENEVIEVE REILLY

FAIRFIELD - Town resident Inni Kaur said she and her family did not leave the house for six weeks after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

As Sikhs, they feared they could be targets, suspected of being terrorists by those who knew little or nothing about their 500-year-old religion.

Now Kaur and Pamma Singh Gulati, a Norwalk businessman, are visiting area police departments in a campaign to bring more awareness of their religion and its doctrines.

Last week, they brought their message to training classes for Fairfield police officers.

"There is a fear on your part and there is a fear on our part," Kaur said. "We need to understand each other."

Sikhs are often mistaken for Muslims, largely because of the turbans that Sikhs traditionally wear. Rather, they are Hindus.

"In America, when you see a person in a turban, 99.9 percent of them are Sikh," Gulati said. "Muslims in the U.S. don't usually wear turbans. In the last 10 years, I have not seen a single Muslim wearing a turban."

Turbans and long beards usually distinguish a man as a Sikh, they said.

Rather than seeking to dominate or convert others to their religion, Sikhism has a heritage of speaking out against injustice and standing up for the defenseless, they said.

It is, Kaur and Gulati said, a very egalitarian religion, believing all people are equal.

"Sikhs are a peace-lovi

ng community," Gulati said, "but they don't tolerate injustice to anyone."

The pair also gave the officers advice on how to interact with a Sikh. "To ask a Sikh to remove a turban is sacrilegious," Kaur said. Don't ever forcibly remove it, they said. Instead, take the person to a private room and ask him to remove it.

Though women Sikhs are not required to wear turbans, many of the younger generation do so, Kaur said.

There are five items, including the turban, that Sikhs are required by their faith to wear.

All Sikhs, males and female, carry a kirpan, a small ceremonial sword that is not a weapon, something that is important to know if an officer needs to frisk a Sikh.

To determine whether a Sikh has a kirpan, Kaur told the officers, simply ask and if it must be taken, explain the reason and handle the kirpan with respect.

"Ask, and they will be more than happy to give it to you," he said.

Sikhs also wear a kara

a steel bracelet.

They do not cut their hair or beard, and officers should not ask or attempt to forcibly cut, trim or pull the beard or hair.

They carry a kanga

a comb

and wear special undershorts called kaccha.

Male Sikhs traditionally use Singh as a middle or last name, while women use the name Kaur.

Singh means lion; Kaur means princess.

The atmosphere in the United States has gotten better in terms of understanding the religion during the last two years, Kaur said.

Police Lt. Daniel Gombos said he'd heard the presentation at a recent meeting of the Fairfield County Training Officers Association.

"We're always looking for different things to broaden our horizons," Gombos said of the local presentation. "Cultural diversity is one area where we do a lot of training."

Gombos said he thought the session would be valuable for the department's officers.

Genevieve Reilly, who covers Trumbull, can be reached at 330-6256.

--- by Bal Singh from Sikh-his

tory.com forum ---

Editor : greilly@ctpost.com

[nanosecond]

I think I got the answer

Rather, they are Hindus.

[smartsingh24]

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa Waheguru Ji Ki Fathe

It's that, and also the fact that we aren't a 500 year old religion. We're just above 303.

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa Waheguru Ji Ki Fathe

[nanosecond]

yeah i also thought that 1st smart singh ji but if we count from Guru Nanak Dev Ji's time then it's over 500 yrs.