The Khalsa and the Non-Khalsa within the Sikh Community in Malaysia

Aman Daima, M. Z and Jaffary, A. and Rahimah, E. and Syed Mohd Hafiz, Syed Omar and Safri, A. (2016) The Khalsa and the Non-Khalsa within the Sikh Community in Malaysia. In: 3rd WORLD CONFERENCE ON ISLAMIC THOUGHT AND CIVILIZATION ‘FUTURE WORLD’, 18-20 Oct 2016, Ipoh, Malaysia.

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Abstract

In the pluralistic society of Malaysia, the Sikh community are categorised as an ethnic minority. They are viewed as one community who share the same religion, culture and language. Despite these similarities, however, they have differences in terms of their compliance to the Sikh practices. The differences are discerned through the two Sikh groups: the Khalsa and the non-Khalsa. The Khalsa is distinguished by a baptism ceremony called the amrit sanskar, a ceremony that makes the Khalsa members bound to the strict codes comprising the 5K symbols, adherence to the four religious prohibitions, and other Sikh practices. The non-Khalsa, on the other hand, are given flexibility to comply with these regulations, although the Sikh religion requires them to undergo the amrit sanskar ceremony and to become a member of the Khalsa. Even so, the presence of these two groups does not prevent them from working and living together in their religious and social spheres. This article aims to reveal the conditions of the Sikh community as a minority living in the pluralistic society of Malaysia. This research is an analysis of documents and interviews to collect data on the Khalsa and the non-Khalsa Sikh community in Malaysia.

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