Though the Sikh religion grew from the Hindu roots of Guru Nanak who saw absurdities in many of the old Hindu rituals, we wish that Hindus would bear in mind the historical fact that Sikhi has evolved to be a separate religion. It is different from Hinduism, which has already absorbed at least two religions which like Sikhi were begun by individuals who began their sojourn on earth as Hindus. As Hinduism has claimed Buddha as an Avatar of Vishnu and added Jainism into the Sanatana Dharmic fold there are many Hindus, especially several Hindutva movements, who wish to absorb Sikhi as well, claiming that Sikhs were the martial wing of the Hindu religion created to protect Hinduism.

We hold that the Katri forces of traditional Hinduism were the Martial Hindus whose Artha was to provide protection for the whole of Hinduism. Sikhi was begun as a movement independent of both the Hindu and Islamic Religions. Some Muslim writers have also recently claimed that Guru Nanak and his followers were part of the Muslim fold. Sikhi was in its early years a religion of peace which took in members who were formerly Hindus and Muslims. As Sikhs they ate together independant of varna and, no minor detail, women were considered equal as 'sutee' and the shuning of widows were ended by Guru Nanak.

It was only after the brutal and tortuous death of Guru Arjan that Sikhi began to evolve out of neccesity, when most of the traditional 'warriors' of Hinduism—the Rajputs actually joined the Moghuls in subjugating the common men and women of the Punjab and India. When Guru Hargobind took to the 'sword' the Sikhs, though at first only in a defensive attitude, began to master Horsemanship and the use of weapons. It took the tortured slaying of another Guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur, and his brave companions to move Guru Gobind Singh to create an army of Saint-Soldiers, the Panj Piares and the Khalsa charged with protecting those of any religion under attack by another.

Did the Hindus thank the Sikhs for their blood and their sacrifices? No, the 'Warriors' of the Hindus, the Rajput hill chiefs around Anandpur sought Mughal help in exiling the Sikhs from land that Guru Tegh Bahadur had purchased from the predessesor of one of their number. Did they then consider the Sikhs to be their fellow Hindus, created to protect them or did they set out to wipe them from the face of the earth?

So if we were not Hindus then are we Hindus today……we can only repeat the words of Bhai Kahn Singh, Hum Hindu Nahin (We are not Hindus). We may have sprung from the same roots but we hold ourselves to be of a different Tree. A tree which believes in only One God while respecting the beliefs and practices of the others' religions as taught by our Holy 'Bani.'

A list of Differing Features and Pratices

Below are some of the different features of the Sikh, Hindu and Muslim Religions.

God / Gods

Hindus - Many 330000000 (and adding, there are temples of Rajnikant and amitabh bachan also)

Muslims - One Almighty Allah

Sikhs - One Omnipresent, omnipotent and Omniscient Waheguru Sahib

Official Colour

Hindu: Saffron(Orange)

Muslim : Green - the Musalman's religion was begun in the dessert where green was rare, hence its revered status in Islam.

Sikhs: All colors are equal and used reverently though many sects may prefer white or a rich blue.

Mantra

Hindus - Gyatri Mantra

Muslims - The Kalma

Sikhs - Mool mantar (IK OANKAAR SATNAAM KARTA PURKH NIRBHAU NIRVAIR AKAL MURAT AJOONI SAIBHAN GUR PARSAD)

Sign

Hindus - Om

Muslims - Bismilla

Sikhs - Ek Oankaar

Greetings on meeting each other

Hindus - Namaste or Ram Ram

Muslims - Salamand

Sikhs - Waheguru ji ka khalsa waheguru ji ki fateh and Sat Sri Akal

Religious Scriptures

For Hindus - Vedas and Puraanas and many more, ULTIMATE DUALITY EVERYWHERE

Muslims - Quran

Sikhs - Pooran Guru Sri Guru Granth Sahib

Sacred Places

For Hindus - Haridwar, Tirupati, Vaishno Devi, Hemkund(Himalaya's Bowl), Manikaran (mani of Mata Parvati dropped here), and other hundreds

Muslims - Mecca

Sikhs - Every place where Guru Granth Sahib is throned and a congregation takes place as per Sikh ethos. JITHE JAAYE BAHE MERA SATGURU SO THAAN SUHAVA RAAM RAAJE

Places of Worship

Hindus - Temple or a special area or room at home

Muslims - Mosque or any where

Sikhs - Gurudwara or anywhere

Direction faced while Worshiping

Hindus - East, towards the Sun

Muslims - Depends on location, can be any direction, always facing towards Makkah

Sikhs - In Gurdwara towards the SGGS, Outside Gurdwaras the Omnipresent Waheguru Sahib is everywhere; so no direction is more important than another.

Time of Bath

Hindus - Prata - Early Morning

Muslims - Vuju before the call prayer

Sikhs - Normally early morning

Prayers

Hindus - Various, Gyatri, Chalisa, artis

Muslims - Five Prayers

Sikhs - Five prayers (3 in the morning, 1 in the evening and 1 before going to bed), and a voluntary frequent reading and understanding of the scripture.

Important Rites

Hindus - Mundan, Janeu

Muslims - Circumcision

Sikhs - Amritchhakk, Anand Karaj (Sikh marriage)

Symbols

Hindus - Tilak, Bodi [choti], Mouli,

Muslims - cutting of mustaches in a particular fashion, for 'Salafists'(Ghaznis) beard not to be trimed. In 2007 in several tribal areas of Pakistan barbers have been threatened with death unlees they close their shops and change professions.

Sikhs - 5 Kakaars (Kachh, kara, kirpan, kesh, kangha) and a turban (men) or scarf (women, though some women choose to wear a turban) to cover one's hair.

Revered Living Individuals

Hindus - Brahmin

Muslims - Qazi, Mullah, Sayads

Sikhs - None, Granthi ji and sevadars takes care of Gurudwara sahib

Rights of Women

Hindus - Said to be equal today though wives, all to often, still die in 'Kitchen fires.'

Muslims - Women often strictly controlled, rather than teaching Muslim men to respect women and control their sexual urges women are hidden often from head to toe to avoid inciting the men. In 2007 a Saudi womam was gang raped along with the man she, not her husband, was in a car with. The punishments were less for the attackers who had, as well, comitted homosexuality. A hopefull note is that several non secular Muslim states allow women to be educated and go about without purdah and even to drive an automobile. Mercy killings still occur with a father recently, in Canada, killing his daughter for removing her head scarf while at her highschool (2007).

Sikhs - Women are considered Equal since the times of Guru Nanak.

Auspicious days

Hindus - Janam Ashtami, Raam Naumi, and other hundreds

Muslims - Eed

Sikhs - All days are auspicious if spent in Lord's remembrance though Sikhs meet on various occasions including Vaisakhi [Khalsa creation day], Holla Mohalla, various days associated with Guru sahibaan's life, and on various kirtan samagams.

Offerings

Hindus - Halwa, Ladoo, fruits

Muslims - halal meat (sacrificial lamb)

Sikhs - Karaah Parshaad Deg

Language

Hindus - Sanskrit Devnagri Script - mother of all languages

Muslims - Arabic / Persian / Urdu, all written in a variation of Arabic script.

Sikhs - No language bar but it is important to learn Gurmukhi (Punjabi) to read Guru Granth sahib and tid-bits of languages like Sanskrit, Pali, Braj, Arabic, Persian and others to better understand meanings of the Baani.

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