The Sikhs

The Sikhs were originally a sect of the Hindus. It was a custom to make the eldest son into a Sikh or a defender of the faith. This was to counter the Islamic invaders who tried to force conversion upon the people of India. The Sikhs arose as defenders of Hinduism or Sanatana Dharma against this Islamic invasion from Central Asia.

Some modern Sikhs consider that they have a separate religion outside of Hinduism. However, if we examine the sacred books of the Sikhs we find that they are filled with references to Hindu names for God, like Ram and Hari, and Hindu holy books, like the Vedas and Puranas, and are composed by various saints and sages, like Nanak, who are equally revered by the Hindus.

The Sikh holy books are written in a language, Gurumukhi, that has much in common with Sanskrit. Many Sikhs still consider themselves to be a sect of the Hindus and hold to the idea of Sanatana Dharma.

Some people hold that the Sikhs combined Hinduism and Islam but the Sikh holy books have very few references to Islam, Allah or Mohammed. The Sikhs fought against the Muslims and were their main opponents in northwest India. But the Sikhs like the Hindus accepted Muslims into their culture if they were peaceful and respected the spiritual traditions of Islam, like Sufism.

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