How and why have Australian Sikhs changed in modern society?
Established 500 years ago in state of Punjab, Northern India during the 15th Century by Guru Nanak Dev, Sikhism is a religion based upon monotheism, with the belief created upon the holy phrase of Ik Onkar meaning “One God”. According to the 2016 Census figures, there are 25 million believers worldwide, including 126,000 in Australia, making it the fifth largest religion in the country (SBS, 2017). The modern society has seen Sikhs in Australian change and alters their beliefs due to the rapid trend of western culture and an influx of migration. The aspects of this investigation will focus upon the two major changes for Australian Sikhs of which are the wearing of the turban and
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Yet, today’s Sikhs are ignoring the words of wisdom from their gurus and dismissing the true Sikh way of life. Rather, they are surrendering to the hedonistic illusion of temporal pleasures and self-indulgence (SikhAwareness, 2017). The pressure to fit in has changed the modern Sikhs, as today’s youths are not invested in their faith compared to previous generations. This can have an impact on the faith and belief of an individual, especially if they are surrounded in an environment that has the potential to influence the connection youth have with their faith. Mr Jagpal Singh, a 25 year-old British Sikh states, “Every generation has a certain amount of connection to their faith, it might just be a different way of representing it compared to previous generations”. This is due to the experience of Sikhism not being as present in a western society as compared to the society in India. If the individual does not have a strong sense of the Sikh lifestyle and feel the benefits. Then the social pressures will take over. Sikh individuals are losing touch with the roots of Sikhism and doing things in a ritualistic way (Sikhnet, 2017). Harinder Pal Singh, a member of the top Sikh religious administration based in Punjab voiced, " it's not so much that young people are any less spiritual today, but the main ideals of Sikhism get masked by the complexities of the contemporary