Dear Editor:
Tam writing to express my disappointment that your newspaper has not been providing coverage of the Kirpan case. There are many articles from the Sacramento and Modesto Bee that discuss the legal arguments as well as Sikhism and how it is practiced. PLEASE PRINT THEM! ‘One article, “Just 1 in 20 valley Sikhs join Khalsa,” from the May 28, 1994 issue of the Modesto Bee, takes me wonder. If only 5% of Sikhs take Amrit, what does this mean for the future? What is the rate of Sikhs taking Amrit lately? An argument can be made that 5% keep the 5 Know and so that 5% will exist in the future but as a smaller percentage as the 959% of Sikhs who do not continue to grow in numbers much faster than those who keep the 5 K’s. As an example of this, the Sikhs were estimated to be 2% of India’s population in the 1980″s. With the birth rate of the 98% of the population who are non-Sikh, Sikhs today are estimated to make up 1.8% of India’s population. What do the trends in ‘America mean for the future of the Khalsa’? Relating back to the kirpan case, will Khalsas have to shed contain of their symbols or fight the system without the support of most Sikhs, due to the fact that 95% ‘of Sikhs in the Central Valley do net take Amrit?
T Would like to read the predictions for the future of other Sikhs, including academics and religious leaders. About the future. We need to fight for our religious freedom not just in the courts but in our Gurdwaras and homes. Kulwinder Singh, Law Student Sacramento, California.
Article extracted from this publication >> September 2, 1994
