Sikhs are not Muslims: 10 Important differences

Westerners often confuse the ethnicities of people from eastern cultures, especially when there are similarities in appearance. People of the Sikh faith, for example, are very often thought to be Muslims, based on skin color and the fact that Sikhs wear a peaked head turban, called a dastar, that at first glance can look like the kind of turbans wore by some Muslim elders or Afghani Muslims.

Because of this confusion, Sikhs have been the victims of hate crimes and domestic terrorism targeting Muslims in a backlash following September 11, 2001, the Gulf War, and the emergence of global terrorist groups. When people in Western countries come in contact with Sikhs wearing beards and turbans many assume they are Muslims. However, Sikhism is a religion that is very distinct from Islam, with a unique scripture, guidelines, principles, initiation ceremony and appearance. It is a religion developed by ten gurus over three centuries.

Here are 10 ways that Sikhism Differs From Islam.