Summary of 'Apostasy Among Sikh Youth - Causes And Cures' By Kharak Singh 

WHAT IS APOSTASY ?

The dictionary meaning of the word 'apostasy' is 'abandonment of one's religion, principles or party or a revolt from ecclesiastical obedience, religious profession or holy order89. (Chambers Twentieth Century Dictionary). The Punjabi University Textbook Board as well as the Punjabi University, Patiala, in the English to Punjabi dictionary, endorse this definition and describe apostasy as 

In the Punjabi to English version of the dictionary of the Punjabi · University; the wordpatit (tfu") used for 'apostate' is explained as 'fallen (in moral or religious sense)', 'a sinner', 'degraded'. The Punjabi Language Department in its Punjabi Kosh refers to patit.

While the above definition is common to most of the religious systems, in Sikhism the term apostasy has some additional specific connota­tions. Bhai Kahn Singh writes in Gurmat Martand :

One, who has fallen from his status, is called an apostate. However, according to the Khalsa concept, it specifically refers to one guilty of any of the following four additional violations. 

It is beyond the scope of the present paper to discuss the merit of these taboos or restrictions. It is necessary to point out, however, that this small list is by no means exhaustive. It is illustrative and includes only such items, as, on prevailing values or standards, were not considered serious offences. Sikh ethics aim at perfection of human conduct and morality, and would not condone even a minor violation.

Tampering with hair (shaving or trimming) is on the top of this list of kurahits that constitute apostasy. Human hair is clearly a biological necessity and has played a crucial role in the evolution of man. It is closely linked with culture and spirituality. Human hair is as much an organ of the body as fingers or toes, and performs vital functions which are obvious as well as those not fully understood. In Sikhism, unshorn hair not only signifies a respect for the natural form given by the Creator, but also a commitment to the high ideals and the way of life prescribed by the Gurus. It is a gift of God sanctified by the Guru. Tampering with hair is an index of erosion of faith in the Guru and the Almighty, which is nothing but a fall or apostasy.

Unshorn hair is not the only or the most difficult requirement of the Sikh way of life. It is perhaps the easiest and only a preliminary condition. Without respect for and faith in this symbol, nobody can be expected to fulfil the higher and much more difficult demands of the Sikh Rahit. By prescribing hair as a compulsory requirement, the Guru has provided a built-in mechanism to warn against dwindling of faith, like the red light to show the minimum level of fuel required to keep an engine running.

In Sikhism, therefore, apostasy means abandonment of faith in the basic tenets of Sikhism. The four kurahits are only specific illustrations of act of apostasy. This abandonment may be total or partial. In the former case, one ceases to be a Sikh, and hardly merits discussion. It is the latter category that needs to be understood. This category sees no harm in shaving, trimming beard, drinking and smoking. They may sometime recite Japuji, and oc­casionally go to gurdwara, which is considered enough to qualify as a Sikh. They insist that they be accepted as such, and demand active participation in the management of gurdwaras and other religious organisations. It must also be noted that they do not want to be associated with any other religion. It is obvious that they still cherish the basic values of Sikhism, and do not want to detach themseives from the Gurus in whom they usually take pride.