Have you seen many Sikh students lately?
Dear COAH,
These days, you can see a lot of men in their 20s wearing turbans in Toronto. They are from the Punjab state in India and are studying here in Canada. I always see them when I go for a cup of coffee in the morning. Their colleges must be nearby. The Canadian government offers a work permit upon graduation. That must be the incentive for them to come and study in Canada. Since Canada needs hundreds of thousands of immigrants every year to function as a country, the government intends to first accept students as international students and then immigrants if possible. According to Statistics Canada 2021, the number of Punjabi Canadians is 950,000. About a third of them live in the Greater Toronto Area. Let's take a look at what religion our neighbours believe.
Punjab is a compound word of 'Punji' meaning five and 'Ab' meaning water and is said to be a land with five rivers. When India and Pakistan gained independence from Britain in 1947, a border was drawn, and Punjab was divided into two. Pakistan has over 100 million Punjabis who are mostly Muslims, while more than 30 million Punjabis in India's Punjab state are mostly Sikhs. 86% of Canada's Punjabis are Sikhs. Sikhism, which they believe in, is a religion started by Guru Nanak (1469-1539) in the Punjab region in the 15th century under the influence of Islam and Hinduism. Unlike Hinduism, which believed in multiple gods, it taught one formless God and uprooted India's decadent caste system. It taught that all people are equal regardless of age or gender. Sikh men do not cut their hair to symbolize absolute obedience to God. They wear a turban to keep their long hair tidy.
Sikhism has the elements of reform from Hinduism and Islam, like abolishing the caste system and advocating for gender equality. This spirit of openness has made Sikhs prominent within India. A pastor who converted from Hinduism says that the Sikh state of Punjab is 30 to 40 years ahead of any other state. At least one member of the Sikh family lives abroad and expands their horizon. Sikhs have great pride in maintaining their identity despite the years of persecution coming from Hinduism. You may have seen Sikhs wearing turbans among American and Canadian police and soldiers with special government permission. Wearing a turban can only deepen one's identity. The Honorable Harjit Sajjan, who served as Canada's Minister of National Defense, proudly wears a turban while performing official duties. Sikhs are precious people loved by God. We need prayers for the increasing number of Sikh students around us. As monotheists among pantheistic Hindus, Sikhs come close but not close enough to believe in Jesus Christ. Let us pray that they will come to know our Lord Jesus Christ personally someday.
Blessings,
Pastor Minho Song