3 DQ w/student responses & one quick history paper

1. Which intrigues you the most? Why?

Out of the 5Ks the one that most intrigues me is the Kesh which is uncut hair. It is visual symbol that you have accepted Sikhism and indicates strength and holiness. It intrigues me because they are not able to cut any of their hair regardless whether your man or a woman.  I think of how society has gotten now with physical appearance and think how people view men and women who practice Sikhism.

1. Sheena says it is not the outward expression of religion that matters; instead, it is what is inside that counts. Is this a cop out or the sign of a genuine struggle to retain her faith in light of today's realities?

I believe that that there is some truth that it is what is inside that matters, however I also believe that the outward expression is just as important. In any religion your faith is just as important to practice outside church as it is inside the Church. The same would apply in this case with Sikhism. If the 5ks are to represent their life and devotion, then it’s just as important to practice.

1. Should America adapt to Sikh customs (for example, Sikh policemen being allowed to wear turbans instead of helmets or hats) or should they adapt to American customs? To get full credit for this question, you need to locate one web source--blog, video, website--that supports your views and share it with the class)

I believe that Americans should adapt to Sikh customers. We are always talking about equality and respecting people’s religion, background and ethnicity then I think we should respect that.  However, my personal take on it as well is that if there is a requirement to wear certain articles of clothing required for the job then regardless you should be required to wear it.  In this case if the hat was optional and no requirement then I think it would be acceptable if it met uniform requirements. A good example of this is in the article link below where New York is allowing Sikh to wear turbines if they are blue.