‘Oh, so you’re a Sikh?  Tell me a little bit more about that…’

Another interfaith event, another awkward moment.  People really weren’t there to drink tea and talk about the weather.  If I wanted to engage, I quickly realised that I needed to do some homework.  And so the homework began - at ‘home.’  

I walked towards the local Gurudwara (Sikh place of worship) to discover that my faith had something very unique and very distinct to offer in terms of interfaith.

Opening the beautifully carved doors of the Gurudwara, I was reminded that it was an ‘open house.’  Everyone and anyone could enter here, 365 days of the year, 24 hours of the day, regardless of what faith they were from.  As I took off my shoes, washed my hands and covered my head, I walked past a picture of the Harimandir Sahib (commonly known as the Golden Temple), which had been constructed by the third, fourth and fifth Sikh Gurus during the 16th Century, with four doors, to epitomise that God’s House welcomed all.  Then I entered the Darbar, the prayer hall, or ‘Court’ of the Guru, where the sacred scriptures and eternal Guru of the Sikhs is ceremoniously enthroned, and paid my respects to  the Guru Granth Sahib Ji, an interfaith scripture that not only contains writings of the Sikh Gurus, but also of Hindu and Muslim Saints.  As the poetic and lyrical verses were beautifully sung, I looked up towards the radiating logo of ‘Ik Oankar’ - the very first words of the Guru Granth Sahib Ji which state that God is One, and all is His creation - a powerful message for the equality of all human beings, and of unity in diversity.  Before leaving, I then partook in Langar, whereby everyone sits on the same level, to share the same food, in the spirit of togetherness and interdependence.  

As I looked more into my tradition, and into the lives of the Sikh Gurus, one of the most extraordinary examples of ‘interfaith’ I came across, was that of Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji, the ninth Sikh Guru who gave his life to protect a faith other than his own.  This set an exemplary standard for interfaith.  It demonstrated that when engaging in interfaith, a Sikh should move beyond dialogue, tolerance, acceptance and even beyond respect - the ultimate ideal is that they should be ready to sacrifice their own life to help another.  The supreme sacrifice of Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji, a faith leader, did not require setting aside or compromising faith identity, but required acting upon it, and putting into practise the love and compassion for fellow human beings.  

I was proud that I had a lot to share and celebrate about my faith tradition and rich heritage with others, and this had only come about due to the introspection which interfaith dialogue had inspired and prompted me towards.  The pre-requisite for interfaith, was my own faith.

Pritpal Kaur Riat, Faiths Act Fellow

pritpal.kaur@faithsactfellows.org