The Spectrum's Diversity Corner on Sikh religious history published on Sept. 21st contains a misquote.
Primarily, Sikhism does not allow proselytization; such behavior generally stems from tremendous amounts of ego, and Sikhs are supposed to be humble and believe in the equality of all religions. During the 1400s, the Mughal Empire forcefully spread Islam throughout Asia. Mughals were Muslims, not Sikhs. At that time, most civilians either converted to Islam or went into hiding. The Sikh leaders saw the fear and cowardice displayed around them and made the turban, unshorn hair, and long beards the symbols of the Sikhs so that Sikhs would stand out and be proud of their beliefs.
Further, the article on Muslims by Cliff Borress on page 5 of Friday's issue showed a picture of a Sikh man. Sikhism is not a sect of Islam; the two faiths are very different. Please be more careful in your future reporting.
