Gurdwara and its politics: Current debate on Sikh identity in Malaysia
All Sikh functions, collective as well as individual, are generally performed in local Gurdwaras, which can play an essential role in developing the Sikh community. As Sikhism is a faith which recognises no division between religion and politics, in 1988 a central council of Gurdwaras called the...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
2008
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| Online Access: | http://journalarticle.ukm.my/1140/ http://journalarticle.ukm.my/1140/ http://journalarticle.ukm.my/1140/1/Gurdwara_and_Its_Politics.pdf |
| Summary: | All Sikh functions, collective as well as individual, are generally performed in
local Gurdwaras, which can play an essential role in developing the Sikh
community. As Sikhism is a faith which recognises no division between religion
and politics, in 1988 a central council of Gurdwaras called the Malaysian
Gurdwaras Council was established to coordinate the functioning of these
Gurdwaras. Based on our research, we found that, most of the Malaysian
Gurdwaras face similar challenges. The ideal roles of the Granthi Sahib as a
religious specialist are in question. The Granthi Sahib and Gurdwaras
Management Committee (GMC) are in a dilemma about their roles. The reason
for this conflict is explored in this paper. There are also conflicts between the
GMC and Granthi Sahib due to committee members’ influence and their abuse
of power in their relations with religious specialists. Therefore, the nature of role of the Malaysian Gurdwara Council in addressing these tensions which in
turn affect the formation of Sikh identity is discussed |
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