Contemporary Issues

Sikhs are against terrorism. Instead, Sikhs are commanded to defend the innocent and fight against oppression. Of course, some Sikhs have committed crimes against innocent victims, but these people do so against the teachings of the religion.
Recent media images cause a bias against people with turbans and beards but in fact Sikhs support defending the innocent, not harming them.

Sikhs are forbidden to have sexual relations with anyone other than their spouse. Sikh teachings urge people to control all desires, including the sexual. The union of matrimony is considered very sacred and important, and sex outside this union is decried.

The Sikh scriptures do not expressly say, “Thou shall not consume birth control pills”. However, Sikhism places a very high importance on family life and family planning.

Sikhism does not provide a definitive injunction on abortion. The Sikh scripture supports the notion that the fetus is a living organism while in the woman’s womb and is cared for by God. Sikh theology would, therefore, be conservative on this issue. At the same time, under extreme conditions such as rape, abortion would be permissible. During such conditions, Sikh tradition recommends that the affected woman consult with other
distinguished Sikhs and come up with an appropriate decision. Therefore, the answer to this question depends on the circumstances. Abortion may not be performed to kill a female fetus by those who desire a male child—those who engage in this practice of female infanticide are known as kuri-maars, and are to be ostracized from the Sikh community, according to the Sikh Rehat Maryada.

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