Sikhs: Difference between revisions

|population = {{circa|25-30}} million {{increase}}<br /> (0.40% of the global population)<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.globalreligiousfutures.org/explorer#/?subtopic=15&chartType=bar&year=2020&data_type=number&religious_affiliation=all&destination=to&countries=Worldwide&age_group=all&gender=all&pdfMode=false|title=Religion Information Data Explorer &#124; GRF|website=www.globalreligiousfutures.org}}</ref><ref name="Britannica">{{cite encyclopedia |url = https://www.britannica.com/topic/Sikhism |title=Sikhism |encyclopedia= [[Encyclopædia Britannica]] |access-date=6 October 2022|quote= In the early 21st century there were nearly 25 million Sikhs worldwide, the great majority of them living in the Indian state of Punjab.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/chandigarh-news/us-officials-probing-claims-of-turbans-of-sikhs-being-confiscated-at-mexico-border-101659642161937.html | title=US officials probing claims of turbans of Sikhs being confiscated at Mexico border | date=5 August 2022 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/times-fact-check/news/fake-alert-sidhu-wrongly-quotes-sikh-population-as-14-crores/articleshow/72003044.cms | title=Fake Alert: Sidhu wrongly quotes Sikh population as 14 crores - Times of India | website=[[The Times of India]] }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/mind-the-gap/sikhs-and-hindus-at-the-crossroads/ | title=Sikhs and Hindus at the crossroads | website=[[The Times of India]] | date=23 November 2019 }}</ref>

|region1    = {{flag|India}}

|pop1      = 24,000,000-28,000,000

|ref1      = <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in |title= Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India |access-date = 4 April 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/mind-the-gap/sikhs-and-hindus-at-the-crossroads/|title= The source state: Out of approximately 30 million Sikhs in the world, the majority of them, 22 million, live in India. Half a million Sikhs have made Canada their home, and even though they constitute just 1.4% of the total population.

|website=Times of India|date= 23 November 2019

}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.findeasy.in/sikh-population-in-india/|title=Sikh Population in World &#124; Sikh Population in India 2022|date=22 December 2021}}</ref><ref name="indianexpress.com">{{cite web|title=Why Sikhism As Registered Religion in Austria Matters |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-who-are-nanak-naam-lewa-and-why-kartarpur-corridor-cant-be-limited-to-sikhs-6100351/|website=Indian Express|date= 10 November 2019}}</ref>

|region2    = {{Flag|Canada}}

|region3 = {{flag|United Kingdom}}

|pop3      = 524,000

|ref3      =<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/culturalidentity/religion/bulletins/religionenglandandwales/census2021|title=Religion, England and Wales - Office for National Statistics|website=www.ons.gov.uk}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.scotlandscensus.gov.uk/documents/censusresults/release2a/rel2A_Religion_detailed_Scotland.pdf|title=Religion (detailed): All people|publisher=National Records of Scotland |access-date=8 April 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ninis2.nisra.gov.uk/Download/Census%202011/QS218NI.ods|title=Religion - Full Detail: QS218NI|publisher=Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency |access-date=8 April 2017}}

</ref>

|region4    = {{flag|United States}}

|ref4      = {{refn|The United States does not measure religion during its censuses. However, the 2021 [[American Community Survey]] found that 318,588 Americans spoke Punjabi at home.<ref>{{Cite web|title=B16001{{!}}Language Spoken at Home by Ability to Speak English for the Population 5 Years and Over|url=https://data.census.gov/table?q=punjabi&tid=ACSDT1Y2021.B16001|access-date=2022-11-23|website=data.census.gov|language=en-US}}</ref> The [[2021 Canadian census]] found that 520,390 Canadians spoke Punjabi at home, and 771,790 were Sikhs.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population|url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&DGUIDList=2021A000011124&GENDERList=1,2,3&STATISTICList=1&HEADERList=0&SearchText=Canada|access-date=2022-11-23|website=statcan.gc.ca|language=en-CA}}</ref> Thus, it can be roughly estimated that there are around 472,498 Sikhs in the United States, using the ratio of Punjabi speakers to Sikhs. |name="Population"|group="nb"}} <ref>https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2021/04/26/sikh-american-tradition-resilience/</ref>

|region5    = {{flag|Australia}}

|ref5      = <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.abs.gov.au/articles/religious-affiliation-australia|title=Religious affiliation in Australia &#124; Australian Bureau of Statistics|date=7 April 2022|website=www.abs.gov.au}}</ref>

|region6  = {{flag|Italy}}

|pop6      =150,000

|ref6      = <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://thewire.in/external-affairs/sikhs-in-italy|title=The Continuing Struggle for Religious Freedom by Italy's Sikh Community|website=The Wire}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/how-the-recent-punjabi-migration-to-spain-and-italy-is-a-departure-for-the-diaspora/articleshow/65180012.cms?from=mdr|title=How the recent Punjabi migration to Spain & Italy is a departure for the diaspora|newspaper=The Economic Times}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.globalindian.com/story/global-indian/parmesans-indian-connect-how-sikhs-saved-the-italian-cheese-industry/|title=How Sikhs saved the Italian cheese industry}}</ref>

|region7    = {{flag|Malaysia}}

|pop7      = 120,000

|ref7      =<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.msu.com.my/|title=Homepage|website=Malaysian Sikh Union}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/598203|title=Outsized contributions of Malaysian Sikhs|first=Ranjit Singh|last=Malhi|date=7 November 2021|website=Malaysiakini}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/nri/nris-in-news/sikh-man-gobind-singh-deo-becomes-malaysias-first-minister/articleshow/64268155.cms?from=mdr|title=Gobind Singh Deo is Malaysia's first Sikh minister|newspaper=The Economic Times}}</ref>

|region10  = {{flag|UAE}}

|pop10      = 52,000

|ref10      =<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.khaleejtimes.com/uae/sikhs-in-uae-hail-countrys-year-of-respect-inclusion|title=Sikhs in UAE hail country's year of 'respect, inclusion'|first=Dhanusha|last=Gokulan|website=Khaleej Times}}</ref>

|region11  = {{flag|Philippines}}

|pop11      = 50,000

|ref11      =<ref>{{cite web|url=http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/punjabi-community-money-lending-philippines-president-rodrigo-duterte-2806212/|title=Punjabi Community Involved in Money Lending in Philippines Braces for 'Crackdown' by New President|date=18 May 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title = 2011 Gurdwara Philippines: Sikh Population of the Philippines |url=http://www.angelfire.com/ca6/gurdwaraworld/philippines.html |access-date=11 June 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111201014811/http://www.angelfire.com/ca6/gurdwaraworld/philippines.html |archive-date=1 December 2011 }}</ref>

|region12  = {{flag|New Zealand}}

|pop12      = 40,908

|ref12      =<ref name="New Zealand Sikh population">{{cite web | url=https://www.stats.govt.nz/news/losing-our-religion |title = Losing our religion &#124; Stats NZ}}</ref>

|region13    = {{flag|Thailand}}

|pop13      = 40,000

|ref13      =<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/drl/rls/irf/2006/71359.htm|title=Thailand|website=U.S. Department of State}}</ref>

|region14  = {{flag|Oman}}

|region15  = {{flag|Spain}}

|pop15      = 26,000

|ref15      =<ref>{{Cite journal|title=Masculinity in the Sikh Community in Italy and Spain: Expectations and Challenges|first=Nachatter Singh|last=Garha|date=6 February 2020|journal=Religions|volume=11|issue=2|pages=76|doi=10.3390/rel11020076|doi-access=free }}</ref>

|region16  = {{flag|Germany}}

|pop16      = 15,000

|ref16     =<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sbs.com.au/language/punjabi/en/article/must-leave-sikh-temple-vandalised-with-racist-graffiti-in-germany/245sczvrv|title='Must leave': Sikh temple vandalised with racist graffiti in Germany|website=SBS Language}}</ref>

|region17  = {{flag|Hong Kong}}

|pop17      = 15,000

|ref17      =<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.scmp.com/yp/discover/lifestyle/features/article/3065561/hong-kong-stories-getting-know-citys-sikh-community|title=Hong Kong stories: Getting to know the city's Sikh community|website=Young Post}}</ref>

|region18  = {{flag|Kuwait}}

|ref18      =<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.outlookindia.com/website/story/kuwait-to-seek-closure-of-illegal-sikh-temple/212050|title=Kuwait To Seek Closure Of "Illegal" Sikh Temple|date=3 February 2022|website=outlookindia.com/}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Sikh Gurdwara discovered by 'intrepid' local reporter |url=https://timeskuwait.com/news/sikh-gurdwara-discovered-by-intrepid-local-reporter/ |website=timeskuwait.com/ |date=August 14, 2019 |access-date=December 7, 2022}}</ref>

|region19  = {{flag|Cyprus}}

|pop19      = 13,280

|ref19      =<ref>https://acninternational.org/religiousfreedomreport/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Cyprus.pdf</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thearda.com/world-religion/national-profiles|title=National Profiles|website=www.thearda.com}}</ref>

|region20   = {{flag|Singapore}}

|pop20     = 12,000

|ref20     =<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/religious-diversity-in-singapore/evolution-of-the-sikh-identity-in-singapore/64B38827CD87A88C1EF3BDA3E9C2EBA5|title=Religious Diversity in Singapore|first=Arunajeet|last=Kaur|date=6 December 2008|publisher=ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute|pages=275–297|via=Cambridge University Press}}</ref>

|ref21      =<ref>{{cite web |title=Orang-orang Sikh di Indonesia |url=https://kumparan.com/kumparannews/orang-orang-sikh-di-indonesia |website=kumparan |language=id-ID}}</ref>

|region22  = {{flag|Belgium}}

|pop22      = 10,000

|ref22      = <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://brill.com/display/book/edcoll/9789004432284/BP000040.xml|title=Hinduism in Belgium|first1=Enrico Castro|last1=Montes|first2=Idesbald|last2=Goddeeris|date=7 July 2020|publisher=Brill|via=brill.com}}</ref>

|region23  = {{flag|Austria}}

|pop23      = 9,000

|ref23      = <ref>https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/europe/why-sikhism-as-registered-religion-in-austria-matters/articleshow/80021881.cms#:~:text=According%20to%20Hardeep%20Singh%20Maan,around%209%2C000%20Sikhs%20in%20Austria.</ref>

|region24   = {{flag|France}}

|pop24     = 8,000

|ref24     = <ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.theguardian.com/world/2004/jan/23/france.schoolsworldwide|title=French Sikhs threaten to leave country|date=23 January 2004|website=the Guardian}}</ref>

|region25  = {{flag|Portugal}}

|ref25      = <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://lisbongurudwara.yolasite.com/|title=Lisbongurudwara|website=lisbongurudwara.yolasite.com}}</ref>

|region26    = {{flag|Saudi Arabia}}

|pop26      = 6,700

|ref26      =<ref>https://www.state.gov/reports/2021-report-on-international-religious-freedom/saudi-arabia/</ref>

|region27  = {{flag|Pakistan}}

|pop27      = 6,146 ([[National Database and Registration Authority|NADRA]]), 20,000 ([[United States Department of State|USDOS]])

|ref27      =<ref>{{cite web|title=Sikh population in Pakistan|url=https://www.aninews.in/news/world/asia/sikhs-in-pakistan-face-continuous-persecution-uncertain-of-their-future20211015111314/|access-date=19 Jan 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.voanews.com/a/extremism-watch_pakistans-religious-minorities-say-they-were-undercounted-census/6207724.html|title=Pakistan's Religious Minorities Say They Were Undercounted in Census|website=VOA}}</ref>

|region28  = {{flag|Kenya}}

|pop28      = 6,000

|ref28      =<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Adam |first1=Michel |title=A diversity with several levels: Kenyan politics of integration and the Kenyan minorities of Indian origin |journal=Les Cahiers d'Afrique de l'Est / The East African Review |date=1 September 2013 |issue=47 |pages=23–32 |doi=10.4000/eastafrica.402 |s2cid=199837942 |url=https://journals.openedition.org/eastafrica/402#quotation |access-date=4 September 2020 |language=en |issn=2071-7245|doi-access=free }}</ref>

|region29  = {{flag|Norway}}

|pop29      = 4,080

|ref29      =<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ssb.no/en/kultur-og-fritid/statistikker/trosamf/aar/2020-12-08|title=2020-12-08|website=ssb.no}}</ref>

|region30  = {{flag|Denmark}}

|pop30      = 4,000

|ref30      =<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780191831874.001.0001/acref-9780191831874-e-251|title=A Dictionary of Sikh Studies|first=Pashaura|last=Singh|date=18 April 2019|publisher=Oxford University Press|via=www.oxfordreference.com|doi=10.1093/acref/9780191831874.001.0001|isbn=978-0-19-183187-4 }}</ref>

|ref31      =<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://watchingtheswedes.com/2019/02/26/diverse-sweden-part-1-swedish-sikhs/|title=Diverse Sweden Part 1: Swedish Sikhs|first=Neil Shipley's watching the|last=Swedes|date=26 February 2019}}</ref>

|region32   = {{flag|Fiji}}

|pop32     = 2,577

|ref32     =<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.statsfiji.gov.fj/Social/religion_stats.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080916193239/http://www.statsfiji.gov.fj/Social/religion_stats.htm|url-status= dead|title=Population by Religion - 2007 Census of Population|archive-date=16 September 2008}}</ref>

|region33  = {{flag|Bahrain}}

|ref33      =<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gdnonline.com/Details/1148216|title=Bahrain News: Sikh community in Bahrain celebrates 553rd birth anniversary of Guru Nanak|website=www.gdnonline.com}}</ref>

|region34   = {{flag|Ireland}}

|pop34     = 1,705

|ref34     =<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/religion-and-beliefs/estimated-2-000-take-part-in-dublin-sikh-parade-1.3852677|title=Estimated 2,000 take part in Dublin Sikh parade|newspaper=The Irish Times}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.newsfour.ie/2020/06/the-sikh-community-provides-free-meals-for-frontline-workers/|title=The Sikh Community provides free meals for frontline workers - News Four News Four|date=15 June 2020|website=www.newsfour.ie}}</ref><ref>https://data.cso.ie/</ref>

|ref35      =<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2013/2/21/georgia-farms-face-indian-invasion|title=Georgia farms face Indian 'invasion'|first=Felix Gaedtke,Gayatri|last=Parameswaran|website=www.aljazeera.com}}</ref>

 

|languages  = Primary - [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]] and [[Punjabi dialects|its dialects]] ([[Gurmukhi]] script);<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://old.sgpc.net/rehat_maryada/section_four.html|title=Sikh Reht Maryada, The Definition of Sikh, Sikh Conduct & Conventions, Sikh Religion Living, India|website=old.sgpc.net}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://old.sgpc.net/rehat_maryada/section_six.html|title=Sikh Reht Maryada, The Definition of Sikh, Sikh Conduct & Conventions, Sikh Religion Living, India|website=old.sgpc.net}}</ref> [[Guru Gobind Singh]] wrote letters to [[Aurangzeb]]—[[Zafarnama (letter)|Zafarnama]] and the [[Hikaaitaan]]—written in the [[Persian alphabet]]; Sikh coins were minted in [[Gurmukhi]] and [[Persian language|Persian]] during [[Misl|misls]] and [[Sikh Empire]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukgwa/20190801112113/https://www.britishmuseum.org/research/publications/research_publications_series/2011/catalogue_of_sikh_coins.aspx|title=UK Government Web Archive|website=webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk}}</ref>

 

[[English language|English]]{{·}}[[Hindi]]{{·}}[[French language|French]]{{·}}[[Italian language|Italian]]{{·}}[[Malay language|Malay]]{{·}}[[Modern Standard Arabic|Arabic]]{{·}}[[Filipino language|Filipino]]{{·}}[[Thai language|Thai]]{{·}}[[Spanish language|Spanish]]{{·}}[[German language|German]]{{·}}[[Chinese language|Chinese]]{{·}}[[Greek language|Greek]]{{·}}[[Turkish language|Turkish]]{{·}}[[Indonesian language|Indonesian]]{{·}}[[Dutch language|Dutch]]{{·}}[[Portuguese language|Portuguese]]{{·}}[[Urdu]]{{·}}[[Swahili language|Swahili]]{{·}}[[Norwegian language|Norwegian]]{{·}}[[Danish language|Danish]]{{·}}[[Swedish language|Swedish]]

 

Liturgical - [[Sant Bhasha]]<ref>{{cite book |last1=Mann |first1=Gurinder Singh |title=The Making of Sikh scripture |date=2001 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford |isbn=9780195130249 |page=5}}</ref>

 

Code - [[Khalsa bole]]<ref name=":2">{{Cite book |title=The Oxford Handbook of Sikh Studies |publisher=OUP Oxford |others=Pashaura Singh, Louis E. Fenech |year=2014 |isbn=9780191004117 |series=Oxford Handbooks |pages=380}}</ref>}}

'''Sikhs''' ({{IPAc-en|s|iː|k}} or {{IPAc-en|s|ɪ|k}}; {{lang-pa|ਸਿੱਖ}}, ''{{IAST|sikkh}}'' {{IPA-pa|sɪkkʰ|}} [[Devanagari]]: सिख) are people who adhere to [[Sikhism|Sikhi or Sikhism]], an [[Indian Religions|Indian religion]] that originated in the late [[15th century]] in the [[Punjab]] region of the [[Indian subcontinent]], based on the revelation of [[Guru Nanak]].<ref name="Singh2011">{{cite book|author=Nikky-Guninder Kaur Singh|title=Sikhism: An Introduction|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w8yWAwAAQBAJ&pg=PT61|date=22 February 2011|publisher=I.B. Tauris|isbn=978-0-85773-549-2|pages=61–}}</ref> The term ''Sikh'' has its origin in the [[Sanskrit]] word ''{{IAST|[[śiṣya]]}}'' ({{Lang-sa|शिष्य|label=none}}), meaning 'disciple' or 'student'.<ref>{{cite book | last=Singh | first=Khushwant | author-link=Khushwant Singh | year=2006 | title=The Illustrated History of the Sikhs | publisher=Oxford University Press | location=India | isbn = 0-19-567747-1 | page=15}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Nabha|first=Kahan Singh|url=http://www.ik13.com/online_library.htm#mahankosh|title=ਗੁਰ ਸ਼ਬਦ ਰਤਨਾਕਰ ਮਹਾਨ ਕੋਸ਼|year=1930|page=720|language=pa|trans-title=Gur Shabad Ratnakar Mahan Kosh|access-date=29 May 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050318143533/http://www.ik13.com/online_library.htm#mahankosh|archive-date=18 March 2005|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=carolyn |date=2022-03-17 |title=SIKH NATIONALISM: From a Dominant Minority to an Ethno-Religious Diaspora {{!}} By Gurharpal Singh and Giorgio Shani |url=https://pacificaffairs.ubc.ca/book-reviews/sikh-nationalism-from-a-dominant-minority-to-an-ethno-religious-diaspora-by-gurharpal-singh-and-giorgio-shani/ |access-date=2023-01-09 |website=Pacific Affairs (UBC Journal) |language=en-CA}}</ref>

Male Sikhs generally have ''[[Singh]]'' ('[[lion]]') as their last name, though not all Singhs are necessarily Sikhs; likewise, female Sikhs have ''[[Kaur]]'' ('princess') as their last name. These unique last names were given by the Gurus to allow Sikhs to stand out and also as an act of defiance to India's caste system, which the Gurus were always against. Sikhs strongly believe in the idea of "''[[Sarbat da bhala|Sarbat Da Bhala]]''" - "Welfare of all" and are often seen on the frontline to provide humanitarian aid across the world.

Sikhs who have undergone the ''[[Amrit Sanchar]]'' ('baptism by [[Khanda (Sikh symbol)|Khanda]]'), an initiation ceremony, are from the day of their initiation known as [[Khalsa]], and they must at all times have on their bodies [[The Five Ks|five Ks]]:

The Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent has been the historic homeland of the Sikhs, having even been [[Sikh Empire|ruled by the Sikhs]] for significant parts of the 18th and 19th centuries. Today, [[Canada]] has the largest national Sikh proportion (2.1%) in the world,<ref name="canadareligion2021"/> while [[Punjab]] state in [[India]] has the largest Sikh proportion (58%) amongst all [[Administrative division|administrative divisions]] in the world. Many countries, such as Canada and the United Kingdom, recognize Sikhs as a designated religion on their censuses,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/culturalidentity/religion/articles/religioninenglandandwales2011/2012-12-11|title=Religion in England and Wales 2011|last=ONS|date=11 December 2012|website=[[Office for National Statistics]]|publisher=[[UK Statistics Authority]]|access-date=24 November 2018}}</ref> and, as of 2020, Sikhs are considered as a separate [[ethnic group]] in the United States.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.firstpost.com/world/sikhs-to-be-counted-as-separate-ethnic-group-in-2020-us-census-community-hails-recognition-of-distinct-language-culture-7907961.html|title=Sikhs to be counted as separate ethnic group in 2020 US Census; community hails recognition of distinct language, culture|last=Press Trust of India|date=15 January 2020|website=Firstpost}}</ref> The UK also considers Sikhs to be an [[Ethnoreligious group|ethno-religious]] people, as a direct result of the [[Mandla v Dowell-Lee]] case in 1982.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/PARLMENT/hansArt.nsf/V3Key/LC19940511036 |title=Anti-Discrimination (Amendment) Bill - 11/05/1994 - 2R COMM - NSW Parliament |publisher=Parliament.nsw.gov.au |date=1994-05-11 |accessdate=2015-04-27}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/uploaded_files/research/research_report_48_religion_or_belief_identifying_issues_and_priorities.doc |title=Archived copy |accessdate=2010-02-10 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100116121346/http://equalityhumanrights.com/uploaded_files/research/research_report_48_religion_or_belief_identifying_issues_and_priorities.doc |archivedate=2010-01-16 }}</ref>

[[Guru Nanak]] (1469&ndash;1539), the founder of [[Sikhism]], was born in a [[Hindu]] family to [[Mehta Kalu]] and [[Mata Tripta]] in the village of [[Talwandi]], present-day [[Nankana Sahib]], near [[Lahore]].<ref name=Singh_2006>{{cite book | last=Singh | first=Khushwant | author-link=Khushwant Singh | year=2006 | title=The Illustrated History of the Sikhs | publisher=Oxford University Press | location=India | isbn = 0-19-567747-1 | pages=12–13}}</ref> Throughout his life, Guru Nanak was a religious leader and social reformer. However, Sikh political history may be said to begin in 1606, with the death of the fifth Sikh guru, [[Arjan Dev|Guru Arjan Dev]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/sikhism/history/history_1.shtml|title=The Khalsa {{!}} History of Sikhism {{!}} Sikhism|date=29 August 2003|work=BBC Religion & Ethics|publisher=BBC|access-date=4 April 2008}}</ref> Religious practices were formalised by [[Guru Gobind Singh]] on 30 March 1699, when the Guru initiated five people from a variety of social backgrounds, known as the ''[[Panj Piare]]'' ("beloved five"), to form a collective body of initiated Sikhs, known as the ''[[Khalsa]]'' ("pure").<ref>{{cite book|last=Singh|first=Patwant|url=https://archive.org/details/sikhs00sing/|title=The Sikhs|publisher=Knopf|year=2000|isbn=978-0-375-40728-4|location=New York|page=[https://archive.org/details/sikhs00sing/page/14 14]|url-access=registration|via=Internet Archive}}</ref>

The early followers of Guru Nanak were [[Khatri]]s, but later a large number of [[Jat]]s joined the faith.<ref>{{cite book|publisher=Penguin|title=India in the Persianate Age: 1000-1765|author=Richard M. Eaton|year=2019|pages=168–169|isbn=9780141966557|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aIF6DwAAQBAJ&pg=PP168|quote=The Sikh community grew rapidly in the sixteenth century. Nanak's earliest followers had been fellow Khatris engaged in petty trade, shopkeeping, or lower level civil service in the Lodi or Mughal bureaucracies. But as the movement grew, it experienced a significant influx of Jat cultivators.}}</ref> Khatris and [[Brahmin]]s opposed "the demand that the Sikhs set aside the distinctive customs of their castes and families, including the older rituals."<ref>{{cite book|last=Dhavan|first=Purnima|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=q0ZpAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA42|title=When Sparrows Became Hawks: The Making of the Sikh Warrior Tradition, 1699-1799|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2011|isbn=978-0-19987-717-1|pages=42, 47, 184}}</ref>

| doi = 10.1080/00856408708723379 }}</ref> As the Sikh faith grew, the Sikhs subsequently militarized to oppose Mughal rule.{{Citation needed|date=November 2015}} [[Guru Gobind Singh Ji]] was assassinated in 1708 by two pathans.{{Citation needed|date=November 2015}}

After the annexation of the Sikh kingdom by the British, the British Army began recruiting significant numbers of Sikhs and [[Punjabis]].{{citation needed|date=January 2021}} During the 1857 [[Indian mutiny]], the Sikhs stayed loyal to the British, resulting in heavy recruitment from Punjab to the [[British Indian Army]] for the next 90 years of the [[British Raj]] in [[colonial India]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Ballantyne|first1=Tony|title=Between Colonialism and Diaspora: Sikh Cultural Formations in an Imperial World|date=2006|publisher=Duke University Press|location=United states|page=66|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cArhKfrY_IoC&pg=PR5 |access-date=21 January 2015|isbn=0822388111}}</ref> The distinct turban that differentiates a Sikh from other turban wearers is a relic of the rules of the British Indian Army.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Cohn|first1=Bernard S|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uIalYaenrTkC&pg=PR9|title=Colonialism and Its Forms of Knowledge: The British in India|date=1996|publisher=Princeton University Press|isbn=0691000433|location=Princeton, NJ|pages=107–109|access-date=26 January 2015}}</ref> The British colonial rule saw the emergence of many reform movements in India, including Punjab, such as the formation of the First and Second [[Singh Sabha Movement|Singh Sabha]] in 1873 and 1879 respectively. The Sikh leaders of the Singh Sabha worked to offer a clear definition of Sikh identity and tried to purify Sikh belief and practice.<ref>{{cite book|last=Oberoi|first=Harjot|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1NKC9g2ayJEC|title=The Construction of Religious Boundaries: Culture, Identity, and Diversity in the Sikh Tradition|publisher=University of Chicago Press|year=1994|isbn=9780226615929|location=Chicago|page=494|access-date=2013-09-18}}</ref>

At the time of the [[Indian independence movement]], the Sikh ruler of the [[Kapurthala State]] fought to [[opposition to the partition of India|oppose the partition of India]] and advocated for a united, secular country.<ref name="NDTV2009">{{cite web |title=An undivided India? |url=https://www.ndtv.com/video/news/the-big-fight/an-undivided-india-100356 |publisher=[[NDTV]] |access-date=19 October 2020 |language=en |date=29 August 2009}}</ref> Sikh organizations, including the [[Chief Khalsa Diwan|Chief Khalsa Dewan]] and [[Shiromani Akali Dal]] led by [[Master Tara Singh]], condemned the [[Lahore Resolution]] and the movement to create Pakistan, viewing it as inviting possible persecution. The Sikhs therefore [[opposition to the partition of India|strongly fought against the partition of India]].<ref name="KudaisyaYong2004">{{cite book |last1=Kudaisya |first1=Gyanesh |last2=Yong |first2=Tan Tai |title=The Aftermath of Partition in South Asia |date=2004 |publisher=[[Routledge]] |location=Abingdon-on-Thames, England |isbn=978-1-134-44048-1 |page=100 |quote=No sooner was it made public than the Sikhs launched a virulent campaign against the Lahore Resolution. Pakistan was portrayed as a possible return to an unhappy past when Sikhs were persecuted and Muslims the persecutor. Public speeches by various Sikh political leaders on the subject of Pakistan invariably raised images of atrocities committed by Muslims on Sikhs and of the martyrdom of their ''gurus'' and heroes. Reactions to the Lahore Resolution were uniformly negative and Sikh leaders of all political persuasions made it clear that Pakistan would be "wholeheartedly resisted". The Shiromani Akali Dal, the party with a substantial following amongst the rural Sikhs, organized several well-attended conferences in Lahore to condemn the Muslim League. Master Tara Singh, leader of the Akali Dal, declared that his party would fight Pakistan "tooth and nail". Not be outdone, other Sikh political organizations, rivals to the Akali Dal, namely the Central Khalsa Young Men Union and the moderate and loyalist Chief Khalsa Dewan, declared in equally strong language their unequivocal opposition to the Pakistan scheme.}}</ref> The months leading up to the 1947 [[partition of India]] were marked by conflict in the [[Punjab]] between Sikhs and [[Muslims]].<ref name="Abid2014">{{cite web |last1=Abid |first1=Abdul Majeed |title=The forgotten massacre |url=https://nation.com.pk/29-Dec-2014/the-forgotten-massacre |website=The Nation |date=29 December 2014 |quote=On the same dates, Muslim League-led mobs fell with determination and full preparations on the helpless Hindus and Sikhs scattered in the villages of Multan, Rawalpindi, Campbellpur, Jhelum and Sargodha. The murderous mobs were well supplied with arms, such as daggers, swords, spears, and firearms. (A former civil servant mentioned in his autobiography that weapon supplies had been sent from NWFP and money was supplied by Delhi-based politicians.) They had bands of stabbers and their auxiliaries, who covered the assailant, ambushed the victim and if necessary disposed of his body. These bands were subsidized monetarily by the Muslim League, and cash payments were made to individual assassins based on the numbers of Hindus and Sikhs killed. There were also regular patrolling parties in jeeps that went about sniping and picking off any stray Hindu or Sikh. ... Thousands of non-combatants including women and children were killed or injured by mobs, supported by the All India Muslim League.}}</ref> This caused the religious migration of Punjabi Sikhs and [[Hindus]] from [[Punjab (Pakistan)|West Punjab]] to the east (modern India), mirroring a simultaneous religious migration of [[Punjabi Muslims]] from [[Punjab (India)|East Punjab]] to the west (modern Pakistan).<ref name="Dutt et al.">{{cite journal|last1=Dutt|first1=Amitava|last2=Devgun|first2=Surinder|date=23 September 1977|title=Diffusion of Sikhism and recent migration patterns of Sikhs in India|journal=GeoJournal|volume=1|issue=5|pages=81–89|doi=10.1007/BF00704966|s2cid=189881872|issn=1572-9893}} {{dead link|date=May 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

The Punjab Suba experienced heavy government crackdown with the Congress Government arresting as many as 21,000 people. Attempted negotiations with Congress-led the agitation to be adjourned twice, though Jawaharlal Nehru continued to reject the demand.{{sfn|Deol|2000|p=96}}{{sfn|Grewal|1998|p=188}} On 4 July 1955, government police forces, led by [[Deputy inspector general of police|DIG]] Ashwini Kumar,<ref name=kirpal>{{cite book |last1=Dhillon |first1=Kirpal S. |title=Identity and Survival: Sikh Militancy in India, 1978-1993 |date=2006 |publisher=Penguin Books |location=London, United Kingdom |isbn=9780143100362 |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Identity_and_Survival/_PU6CwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PT60&printsec=frontcover| page=60}}</ref> forced entry into the Golden Temple premises and heavy-handedly arrested protestors and took them into custody, along with the head [[granthi]]s of the [[Akal Takht]] and [[Golden Temple]], volunteer protestors, and even cooks of the temple's [[Langar (Sikhism)|langar]].{{sfn|Bal|1985|p=426}} The Guru Ram Das Serai and Shiromani Akali Dal offices were also raided, and batons used and tear gas and shells were fired to disperse the protestors gathered on the periphery of the temple, damaging the periphery and Sarovar, or pool, of the temple.{{sfn|Bal|1985|p=426}}{{sfn|Grewal|1998|p=189}} The government stopped volunteers on the way to the Golden Temple, and troops were ordered to flag-march through the bazaars and streets surrounding the site.{{sfn|Grewal|1998|p=189}} Over 200 protestors were killed, thousands arrested,{{sfn|Grewal|1998|p=189}} and thousands, including women and children, were injured.

The Congress government agreed to the Punjab Suba in 1966 after protests and recommendation of the States Reorganisation Commission.<ref name="Jayanta484">{{citation|last1=Ray|first1=Jayanta Kumar|title=Aspects of India's International Relations, 1700 to 2000: South Asia and the World|date=2007|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Nyk6oA2nOlgC&q=khalistan|page=484|publisher=Pearson Education India|isbn=978-81-317-0834-7}}</ref> The state of East Punjab was later split into the states of [[Himachal Pradesh]], the new state [[Haryana]] and current day [[Punjab, India|Punjab]].<ref>{{cite journal|last=Singh|first=Atamjit|title=The Language Divide in Punjab|url=http://www.apnaorg.com/book-chapters/language/|journal=South Asian Graduate Research Journal|volume=4|issue=1, Spring 1997|publisher=Apna|access-date=4 April 2013}}</ref> However, there was a growing alienation between Punjabi Sikh and Hindu populations. The latter of which reported Hindi rather than Punjabi as their primary language. The result was that Punjabi-speaking areas were left out of the new state and given to Haryana and Himachal Pradesh{{sfn|Grewal|1998|p=205}} resulting in the state of Punjab to be roughly 35,000 square miles smaller than the Punjabi-speaking areas based on pre-1947 census figures. Moreover, the 1966 reorganization left Sikhs highly dissatisfied, with the capital [[Chandigarh]] being made into a shared a [[union territory]] and the capital of Punjab and Haryana.

In the late 1960s, the Green Revolution in India was first introduced in Punjab as part of a development program issued by international donor agencies and the Government of India.<ref name=":12">{{Cite journal|last=Dutta|first=Swarup|date=June 2012|title=Green Revolution Revisited: The Contemporary Agrarian Situation in Punjab, India|journal=Social Change|volume=42|issue=2|pages=229–247|doi=10.1177/004908571204200205|s2cid=55847236|issn=0049-0857}}</ref> While, [[Green Revolution]] in Punjab had several positive impacts, the introduction of the mechanised agricultural techniques led to uneven distribution of wealth. The industrial development was not done at the same pace as agricultural development, the Indian government had been reluctant to set up heavy industries in Punjab due to its status as a high-risk border state with Pakistan.<ref name="Larry2007">{{cite book | author1=Sumit Ganguly | author2=Larry Diamond | author3=Marc F. Plattner | title=The State of India's Democracy | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lgs1tFTh-JMC&pg=PA56 | access-date=18 August 2013 | date= 2007 | publisher=JHU Press | isbn=978-0-8018-8791-8 | page=56 }}</ref> The rapid increase in the higher education opportunities without an adequate rise in the jobs resulted in the increase in the unemployment of educated youth.<ref name="Jayanta484"/>

In 1973 as a result, of unaddressed grievances and increasing inequality the [[Akali Dal]] put forward the [[Anandpur Sahib Resolution]].{{sfn|Karim|1991|p=30}} The resolution included both religious and political issues. It asked for recognising Sikhism as a religion, it also demanded the devolution of power from the Central to state governments.<ref name="Jayanta484"/> The Anandpur Resolution was rejected by the government as a secessionist document. Thousands of people joined the movement, feeling that it represented a real solution to demands such as a larger share of water for irrigation and the return of [[Chandigarh]] to Punjab.<ref name="Akshay1991">{{cite book|author=Akshayakumar Ramanlal Desai|title=Expanding Governmental Lawlessness and Organized Struggles | year=1991|publisher=Popular Prakashan|isbn=978-81-7154-529-2|pages=64–66 }}</ref>  

After unsuccessful negotiations the Dharam Yuddh Morcha ("righteous campaign"){{sfn|Bakke|2015|p=143}} was launched on 4 August 1982,{{CN|date=March 2022}} by the [[Akali Dal]] in partnership with [[Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale]], with its stated aim being the fulfillment of a set of devolutionary objectives based on the [[Anandpur Sahib Resolution]].{{sfn|Bakke|2015|p=143}} Indian police responded to protestors with high-handed police methods creating state repression affecting a very large segment of Punjab's population. Police brutality resulted in retaliatory violence from a section of the Sikh population, widening the scope of the conflict by the use of violence of the state on its own people. {{sfn|Karim|1991|pp=32-33}} A "state of chaos and repressive police methods" combined to create "a mood of overwhelming anger and resentment in the Sikh masses against the authorities". Leading to Sikh leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale gaining prominence and demands of independence gain currency, even amongst moderates and Sikh intellectuals.{{sfn|Karim|1991|pp=32-33}} In 1982 and early 1983, extrajudicial killings by the police of orthodox Sikh youth in rural areas in Punjab provoked reprisals.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Pettigrew |first1=Joyce |title=In Search of a New Kingdom of Lahore |journal=Pacific Affairs |date=1987 |volume=60 |issue=1 |page=24 |doi=10.2307/2758827 |jstor=2758827}}</ref> Over 190 Sikhs had been killed in the first 19 months of the protest movement.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Dhillon |first1=Gurdarshan Singh |title=Truth about Punjab: SGPC White Paper |date=1996 |publisher=Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee |location=Amritsar, Punjab |isbn=978-0836456547 |edition=1st |page=198 |url=https://archive.org/details/TruthAboutPunjab/mode/2up}}</ref>

{{Quotation

{{Main|Sikh diaspora}}

[[File:Indias Sikh Pop. Chart02.JPG|thumb|upright=1.25|alt=Yellow bar graph|[[Demographics of India|India's]] Sikh population and their percentage of the total population]]

Johnson and Barrett (2004) estimate that the global Sikh population increases annually by 392,633 (1.7% per year, based on 2004 figures); this percentage includes births, deaths, and conversions. Primarily for [[socio-economic]] reasons, [[Sikhism in India|Indian Sikhs]] have the lowest adjusted growth rate of any major religious group in India, at 16.9 percent per decade (estimated from 1991 to 2001) and it have further declined to just 8.4 per cent in 2011 census report.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dailyo.in/politics/census-2011-sikhs-giani-gurbachan-singh-akal-takht-family-planning-migration-nris-dera-sacha-sauda/story/1/5911.html |title=We need to worry about the decline in Sikh numbers |publisher=Dailyo.in |date=2015-08-27 |accessdate=2022-05-25}}</ref><ref name="auto">{{cite web|title=Proportion and growth rate of population by religious communities, India, 1961–2001 |work=Office of the Registrar General, India |publisher=CensusIndia |date=6 September 2004 |url=http://www.censusindia.net/religiondata/statement.pdf |access-date=4 April 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927201349/http://www.censusindia.net/religiondata/statement.pdf |archive-date=27 September 2007 }}{{cbignore}}</ref> Sikhs in the world have the lowest fertility rate of 1.6 children per women as per (2019–20) estimation research.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/india-witnesses-decline-population-growth-rate-and-fertility-across-religious-groups-156058 |title=India witnesses decline in population growth rate and fertility across religious groups |publisher=The News Minute |date=2021-10-04 |accessdate=2022-05-25}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author=Krishna Veera Vanamali |url=https://wap.business-standard.com/podcast/current-affairs/india-s-fertility-rate-dips-below-replacement-level-what-does-it-mean-122051800062_1.html |title=India's fertility rate dips below replacement level: What does it mean? &#124; Business Standard News |newspaper=Business Standard India |publisher=Wap.business-standard.com |date= 18 May 2022|accessdate=2022-05-25}}</ref> The Sikh population has the lowest gender balance in India, with only 903 women per 1,000 men according to the 2011 Indian census.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/nation/census-shocker-sikhs-report-lowest-sex-ratio/125040.html|title=Census shocker: Sikhs report lowest sex ratio|last=Tandon|first=Aditi|date=27 August 2015|website=Tribune India}}</ref> The estimated world's Sikh population was over 30 million in 2020, and it will reach 42&nbsp;million by 2050. It is expected to increase up to 62&nbsp;million by 2100, given that the anticipated growth rate of 1.7% per year and adding at least 400,000 followers annually.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://americanturban.com/2016/01/28/there-might-be-more-sikhs-in-the-future-maybe/|title=There could be more Sikhs in the future — maybe.|first=Rupinder Mohan|last=Singh|date=28 January 2016}}</ref><ref name="auto"/>

[[Sikhism]] is the fastest growing religion in [[Sikhism in Canada|Canada]], [[Sikhism in Australia|Australia]] and [[Sikhism in New Zealand|New Zealand]]. The growth is mainly contributed by the immigration of [[Sikhism in India|Indian Sikhs]] there over the decades. Sikhism is fourth-largest religion in [[Canada]], fifth-largest religion in [[Australia]] and [[New Zealand]]. The decadal growth of Sikhs is more in those countries as compared to the decadal growth of Sikh population in India, thus making them the fastest-growing religion there.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Government of Canada |first=Statistics Canada |date=2019-01-23 |title=2011 National Household Survey: Data tables Religion (108), Immigrant Status and Period of Immigration (11), Age Groups (10) and Sex (3) for the Population in Private Households of Canada, Provinces, Territories, Census Metropolitan Areas and Census Agglomerations, 2011 National Household Survey |url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/nhs-enm/2011/dp-pd/dt-td/Rp-eng.cfm?LANG=E&APATH=3&DETAIL=0&DIM=0&FL=A&FREE=0&GC=0&GID=0&GK=0&GRP=1&PID=105399&PRID=0&PTYPE=105277&S=0&SHOWALL=0&SUB=0&Temporal=2013&THEME=95&VID=0&VNAMEE=&VNAMEF= |access-date=2022-09-08 |website=www12.statcan.gc.ca}}</ref><ref name="canadareligion2021"/><ref name="worldatlas1">{{cite news | url=https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-is-the-fastest-growing-religion-in-australia.html | title=What is the Fastest Growing Religion in Australia? | newspaper=Worldatlas | date=10 June 2020 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/archive/punjab/sikhs-fastest-growing-minority-in-nz-census-837571 | title=Sikhs fastest-growing minority in NZ: Census }}</ref> [[Canada]] has the highest proportion of Sikhs in the globe, which stands at 2.12% as of 2021,<ref name="canadareligion2021"/> as compared to [[India]] which stands at 1.72% as of 2011 respectively.<ref>https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/archive/features/why-sikhs-ought-to-be-happy-not-worried-126229</ref>

Since Sikhism has never actively sought converts, Sikhs have remained a relatively homogeneous ethnic group. [[Caste system in India|Caste]] may still be practiced by some Sikhs, despite Guru Nanak's calls for treating everyone equally in Sri Granth Sahib.<ref name=":0" />{{NoteTag|1=<poem>Guru Nanak has mentioned in his first composition of Jap Ji Sahib, which is recited daily by all practicing Sikhs that all souls are to be treated with care and respect as Waheguru is the Giver of all souls.

 

"The Guru has given me this one understanding: there is only the One, '''the Giver of all souls'''. May I never forget Him!", Guru Granth Sahib, 2<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.srigranth.org/servlet/gurbani.gurbani?Action=Page&Param=2 |title=Sri Guru Granth Sahib Translation, p. 2 |last=Singh Khalsa|first=Sant |publisher=Srigranth.org|access-date=10 January 2017 }}</ref>

Some Sikhs, especially those belonging to the landowning dominant castes, have not shed all their prejudices against the Dalits. While Dalits were allowed entry into the village [[gurdwara]]s, in some gurdwaras, they were not be permitted to cook or serve [[Langar (Sikhism)|''langar'']] (communal meal). Therefore, wherever they could mobilize resources, the Sikh Dalits of Punjab have tried to construct their own gurdwara and other local level institutions in order to attain a certain degree of cultural autonomy.<ref name=":0">{{cite journal|last1=Jodhka|first1=Surinder S|title=Caste and Untouchability in Rural Punjab|journal=Economic and Political Weekly|date=11–17 May 2002|volume= 37|issue=19|page=1822|jstor=4412102}}</ref> In 1953, Sikh leader and activist Master Tara Singh succeeded in persuading the Indian government to include Sikh castes of the converted untouchables in the list of [[scheduled castes]].<ref name=":1">Puri, Harish K. (2003). "[http://apnaorg.com/research-papers/harish-puri/ The Scheduled Castes in the Sikh Community: A Historical Perspective]". ''Economic & Political Weekly''  38(26):2693–701. {{JSTOR|4413731}}.

Republished in ''Dalits in Regional Context'' (2004). {{ISBN|978-81-7033-871-0}}.</ref> In the [[Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee]], 20 of the 140 seats are reserved for low-caste Sikhs.<ref name=":1" />

The [[3HO|3HO(Healthy, Happy, Holy)]] organization or Sikh Dharma International claims to have inspired a moderate growth in non-Indian adherents of Sikhism.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.3ho.org/about.html|title=3HO Healthy Happy Holy Organisation|work=About 3HO|publisher=3HO.org|access-date=4 April 2008|archive-date=24 April 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080424020453/http://www.3ho.org/about.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> They are mainly centered around [[Española, New Mexico]], and [[Los Angeles]], California, United States of America.

As Sikhs wear [[turban]]s and keep beards, Sikh men in [[Western world|Western]] countries have been mistaken for [[Muslim]], [[Arab|Arabic]], and/or [[Afghans|Afghan]] since the [[September 11 attacks]] and the [[Iraq War]].<ref name="attacks1">{{cite news|url=http://archives.cnn.com/2001/US/09/16/gen.hate.crimes/|title=Hate crime reports up in wake of terrorist attacks|date=17 September 2001|work=US News|access-date=4 April 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080415215239/http://archives.cnn.com/2001/US/09/16/gen.hate.crimes/|archive-date=15 April 2008|publisher=CNN}}</ref><ref name="attacks2">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6117820.stm|title=Sikhs Urging Action on Faith Hate|date=5 November 2006|work=UK News|access-date=4 April 2008|publisher=BBC News}}</ref> Several days after the 9/11 attacks, [[Sikhism in the United States|Sikh-American]] gas station owner [[Balbir Singh Sodhi]] was murdered in [[Arizona]] by a man who took Sodhi to be a member of [[al-Qaeda]], marking the first recorded hate-crime in America motivated by 9/11. CNN would go on to suggest an increase in hate crimes against Sikh men in the US and the UK after the 9/11 attacks.<ref name="attacks1" /><ref name="attacks2" />

| access-date = 4 April 2008 | date=27 June 2007}}</ref> Indian Sikhs are employed in agriculture to a lesser extent; India's 2001 census found 39 per cent of the working population of the Punjab employed in this sector.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://punjabgovt.nic.in/ECONOMY/AGRICULTURE_ALLIED.HTM|title=Agriculture and Allied Sector {{!}} Economy and Infrastructure|last=Government of Punjab|work=Government of Punjab|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080310012330/http://punjabgovt.nic.in/ECONOMY/AGRICULTURE_ALLIED.HTM <!-- Bot retrieved archive -->|archive-date=10 March 2008|access-date=4 April 2008}}</ref> According to the Swedish political scientist [[Ishtiaq Ahmed (political scientist)|Ishtiaq Ahmad]], a factor in the success of the [[Indian green revolution]] was the "Sikh cultivator, often the [[Jat]] and [[Kamboj]] or [[Kamboh]], whose courage, perseverance, spirit of enterprise and muscle prowess proved crucial."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_8-2-2005_pg3_2|title=West and East Punjab Agriculture: A Comparison {{!}} Comment|last=Ishtiaq|first=Ahmad|author-link=Ishtiaq Ahmad (political scientist)|date=8 February 2005|work=Daily Times|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080203090650/http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_8-2-2005_pg3_2|archive-date=3 February 2008|access-date=4 April 2008}}</ref> However, Indian [[physicist]] [[Vandana Shiva]]<ref>{{cite web

In business, the UK-based clothing retailers [[New Look (store)|New Look]] and the Thai-based JASPAL<ref>{{cite web|url=http://jaspalgroup.com/about/|title=About JASPAL Group|last=JASPAL Group|date=2011|work=JASPAL Group|access-date=15 April 2020}}</ref> were founded by Sikhs. India's largest pharmaceutical company, [[Ranbaxy Laboratories]], is headed by Sikhs.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.forbes.com/lists/2006/77/biz_06india_Malvinder-Shivinder-Singh_DN7N.html|title=India's Richest: #24 Malvinder & Shivinder Singh|date=16 November 2006|work=Forbes|access-date=4 April 2008|archive-date=5 May 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080505134317/http://www.forbes.com/lists/2006/77/biz_06india_Malvinder-Shivinder-Singh_DN7N.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Apollo Tyres]] is headed by [[Onkar Singh Kanwar]]. In Singapore, Kartar Singh Thakral expanded his family's trading business, Thakral Holdings,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.forbes.com/lists/2006/79/06singapore_Kartar-Singh-Thakral_UEZJ.html|title=Singapore's 40 Richest: #25 Kartar Singh Thakral|date=24 August 2006|work=Forbes|access-date=4 April 2008}}</ref> into assets totalling almost {{US$|1.4&nbsp;billion|link=yes|round=1}} and is Singapore's 25th-richest person. Sikh [[Bob Singh Dhillon]] is the first [[Indo-Canadian]] billionaire. [[Mastercard|Mastercard's]] [[CEO]] was a Sikh named [[Ajaypal Singh Banga]].

Sikhs in Punjabi Music industry include [[Sidhu Moosewala]], [[Diljit Dosanjh]], [[Babu Singh Maan]], [[Surjit Bindrakhia]], [[Ammy Virk]], [[Karan Aujla]], [[Jazzy B]], [[Miss Pooja]].  

According to a 1994 estimate, Punjabi Sikhs and Hindus comprised 10 to 15% of all ranks in the [[Indian Army]]. The Indian government does not release religious or ethnic origins of a military personnel, but a 1991 report by Tim McGirk estimated that 20%  of Indian Army officers were Sikhs.<ref name="Kundu">{{cite journal|last=Kundu|first=Apurba|date=Spring 1994|title=The Indian Armed Forces' Sikh and Non-Sikh Officers' Opinions of Operation Blue Star|journal=Pacific Affairs|volume=67|issue=1|pages=48–49|doi=10.2307/2760119|jstor=2760119}}</ref> Together with the [[Gurkha]]s recruited from Nepal, the [[Maratha Light Infantry]] from Maharashtra and the [[Jat Regiment]], the Sikhs are one of the few communities to have exclusive regiments in the Indian Army.<ref name="Kundu" /> The [[Sikh Regiment]] is one of the most-decorated [[regiment]]s in the army,{{cn|date=February 2023}} with 73 [[Battle Honours]], 14 [[Victoria Cross]]es,<ref name="nriinternet.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.nriinternet.com/Section4HistoryNRI/UK%20History/5_1016_SuccessStory.htm|title=The success story that UK's 4 lakh Sikhs are|last=TNN|website=NRI Internet|type=excerpts from talk by British High Commissioner Michael Arthur|access-date=4 April 2008}}</ref> 21 first-class [[Indian Order of Merit|Indian Orders of Merit]] (equivalent to the Victoria Cross),<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/06/24/nsikh224.xml|title=History of Sikh Gallantry|date=24 June 2007|work=The Daily Telegraph|access-date=4 April 2008|url-status=dead|location=London|archive-date=27 February 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080227020801/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=%2Fnews%2F2007%2F06%2F24%2Fnsikh224.xml}}</ref> 15 [[Battle honour|Theatre Honours]], 5 COAS Unit Citations, two [[Param Vir Chakra]]s, 14 [[Maha Vir Chakra]]s, 5 [[Kirti Chakra]]s, 67 [[Vir Chakra]]s, and 1,596 other awards. The highest-ranking general in the history of the Indian Air Force is a Punjabi Sikh, Marshal of the Air Force [[Arjan Singh]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/Legends/Arjan.html|title=Marshal of the Air Force Arjan Singh|last=Pillarisetti|first=Jagan|website=Bharat Rakshak|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080327195335/http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/Legends/Arjan.html <!-- Bot retrieved archive -->|archive-date=27 March 2008|access-date=4 April 2008}}</ref> Plans by the [[Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)|United Kingdom Ministry of Defence]] for a Sikh [[infantry]] regiment were scrapped in June 2007.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Rayment|first=Sean|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/06/24/nsikh124.xml|title=Sikh Regiment Dumped over 'Racism' Fears|date=24 June 2007|newspaper=The Telegraph|url-status=dead|location=London|archive-date=18 November 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071118172517/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=%2Fnews%2F2007%2F06%2F24%2Fnsikh124.xml}}</ref>

In the 1990s, the insurgency abated,<ref name="india-canada-list">{{cite news|title=India gives Trudeau list of suspected Sikh separatists in Canada|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-india-canada-trudeau/india-gives-trudeau-list-of-suspected-sikh-separatists-in-canada-idUSKCN1G61K7|website=Reuters, The Sikh insurgency petered out in the 1990s. He told state leaders his country would not support anyone trying to reignite the movement for an independent Sikh homeland called Khalistan. |date=22 February 2018|access-date=22 May 2018}}</ref> and the movement failed to reach its objective due to multiple reasons including a heavy police crackdown on separatists, divisions among the Sikhs and loss of support from the Sikh population.<ref name="HT_New2018">{{cite news|title=New brand of Sikh militancy: Suave, tech-savvy pro-Khalistan youth radicalised on social media|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/opinion/a-new-brand-of-sikh-militancy-rears-its-head/story-JH3XbAGk6sSxlYrVEDyISK.html|access-date=27 April 2018|newspaper=Hindustan Times}}</ref> However, various pro-Khalistan groups, both political and militant, remain committed to the separatist movement. There are claims of funding from [[Sikh diaspora|Sikhs outside India]] to attract young people into militant groups.<ref>{{cite news|date=4 March 2008|title=Sikh separatists 'funded from UK'|publisher=BBC|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/file_on_4/7263211.stm|access-date=28 August 2008}}</ref>

From 2007 to present renowned{{Peacock inline|date=September 2022}} Sikh painter Kanwar Singh has been creating exceptional paintings exclusively devoted to the Sikh religion and history for over ten years. His work is continually exhibited world-wide in prominent heritage sites such as the Virasat-e-Khalsa museum at Anandpur Sahib.  A travelling art exhibition has been launched called, Journey of the Mind commencing its UK tour in the city of Birmingham before moving onto Bristol, Nottingham, Glasgow and London throughout 2022 and 2023.

There is an old Sikh shrine called 'Prachin Guru Nanak Math', which lies at a small hill, just next to [[Bishnumati River|Bishnumati]] bridge at Balaju. Guru Nanak is said to have visited Nepal during his third Udasi while returning from [[Mount Kailash]] in Tibet. Nanak is said to have stayed at Balaju and Thapathali in [[Kathmandu]]. The Nanal Math shrine at Balaju is managed by the Guru-Ji and the Udasin Akardha, a sect developed by Guru Nanak's son, Sri Chandra.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.spotlightnepal.com/2019/08/02/guru-nanak-math-verge-vanishing/ |title=Guru Nanak Math On Verge Of Vanishing |magazine=New Spotlight Magazine |place=Nepal |date= |access-date=2022-03-19}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.worldgurudwaras.com/gurudwaras/gurudwara-guru-nanak-math-kathmandu/ |title=Gurudwara Guru Nanak Math, Kathmandu |publisher=World Gurudwaras |date= |accessdate=2022-03-19}}</ref>

== Explanatory notes ==

* ''[https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=1NKC9g2ayJEC&oi=fnd&pg=PR10&dq=udasi+sikh&ots=bb6hqJ2K_W&sig=cTVuEkJHG7woUdohXBqVId8N6zc#v=onepage&q=udasi%20sikh&f=false The Construction of Religious Boundaries: Culture, Identity, and Diversity in the Sikh Tradition]'' - H Oberoi - 1994 University of Chicago Press, {{ISBN|0-226-61592-8}}.