Women
in Sikhism
At the time of the Gurus women were considered very low in society.
Both Hindus and Muslims regarded women as inferior and a man's property.
Women were treated as mere property whose only value was as a servant
or for entertainment. They were considered seducers and distractions
from man's spiritual path. Men were allowed polygamy but widows were
not allowed to remarry but encouraged to burn themselves on their husbands
funeral pyre (sati). Child marriage and female infanticide were prevalent
and purdah (veils) were popular for women. Women were also not allowed
to inherit any property. Many Hindu women were captured and sold as
slaves in foreign Islamic countries.
In such a climate Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of Sikhism shocked the
entire society by preaching that women were worthy of praise and equal
to men. Five hundred years later, the rest of mankind is only now waking
up to this fundamental truth. The Gurus actively encouraged the participation
of women as equals in worship, in society, and on the battlefield. They
encouraged freedom of speech and women were allowed to participate in
any and all religious activities including reading of the Guru Granth
Sahib.
Views
of the Gurus:
Guru Nanak Dev
Guru Nanak broke the shackles of women by admitting them into the sangat
(congregation) without any restrictions or reservations. Guru Nanak
felt that his message was meant as much for women as for men.
Guru Angad Dev
Guru Angad encouraged the education of all Sikhs, men and women.
Guru Amar Das
Guru Amar Das condemned the cruel custom of sati, female infanticide
and advocated widow remarriage. Guru Amar Das also believed that women
wearing veils (purdah) was demeaning. The Guru refused to meet the queen
of Haripur or to allow any women into the congregation wearing a veil.
Guru Hargobind
Guru Hargobind respected women and declared, "women is the conscience
of man".
Guru Gobind Singh
Guru Gobind Singh made the Khalsa initiation ceremony open to men and
women alike, a woman being just as worthy. At the time of Amrit a man
is given the name Singh meaning lion, the woman is given the name Kaur,
meaning Princess. A Sikh women is an individual in her own right, she
does not have to take her husband's name and is Kaur till her death.
Guru Gobind Singh did not see any distinction between the Khalsa, men
or women could keep the 5 K's. Guru Gobind Singh issued orders forbidding
the Khalsa having any association with those that practiced female infanticide.
Guru Gobind Singh also forbade Sikhs to exercise any proprietary rights
over women captured in battle, they could not be kept as slaves or wives
but were to be treated with the utmost respect.
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