Quora Being Misused

[Anad 5]

Gurfateh everyone.

I hope most of the people on this site must also be using 'Quora.com'. Recenlty I came across the following question on Quora

http://www.quora.com/Sikhism/Whats-it-like-for-a-Sikh-male-to-cut-his-hair-and-or-beard

The Questions is "What is it like for a Sikh to cut his hair?"

I do not know who asked this, but I did go through the answers. There are about 5-6 answers given by Sikh males themselves who got their hair cut at some point in their life.

Yes, it did hurt me reading those answers, but I felt, as you all will feel that everyone has a right to express his/her story and there is not much wrong in that.

However, let me describe some things here. If you look at the contents of the answers, you will find that mostly the people are describing that how difficult it was for them to maintain their hair, and how free they felt after getting it cut etc etc. They even mention that they felt 'proud' and 'free' after doing that.

Now, tell me how many of us feel this way? Hair keeping is of course not difficult for us and we lovingly maintain it. Don;t you all feel that a wrong general idea is being circulated?

I mean so many people read these answers; what information would they get? That all Sikhs are in great difficulty keeping their hair?

I did have a one-one comment discussion also with one of those 'answerers'. Okay let us say that we ignore this and say that let people speak what they want to, we can't stop their mouths. But you know what is more disturbing??? I have seen answers there,in which the writer (a Sikh) addresses other Sikhs who want to cut their hair and narrates to them his act of bravery (of cutting his hair ) and even advises them to act!!!

I have seen some Sikhs commenting and asking these people that even they want to cut their hair and how should they go about doing this?

You know what reason a person was giving there? He writes that since he has cut his hair he has made many girlfriends , and before he had none. Such statements are being used to lure the youth to cut their hair? ( If you read one 'Jas Anand's' answer, you'll find this).

Shouldn't we do something? I mean those people are advising other Sikhs that how to cut their hair/ how to convince their parents /how they will get girlfriends after that etc etc?

What can we do? Atleast :

1)We should comment in opposition, that keeping hair has great benefits and we take pride in it, so that the readers are not misled.

2)We should report abuse the question( We never know if the answers are actually coming from fake accounts to demean the Sikh practices)

3) We should message the Quora admin in large numbers and ask him/her to remove the question as it is hurting religious sentiments.

Here is the list of the admins (their names are mentioned in the answer

http://www.quora.com/Who-are-the-current-site-admins-of-Quora

Or we can send a mail to moderation@quora.com asking to do the same.

Please everyone discuss and decide upon this.

[hsingh8963 374]

Man. Been seeing this muck far too often now a days

[Anad 5]

Man. Been seeing this muck far too often now a days

So what you think about it?

[hsingh8963 374]

It's foolish. What else . confuses young Sikhs. Or new to sikhi individuals we need to decide how to prevent this. This is just annoying. Taking away from the sikhi we have.

Bump.... Need Ideas

[Anad 5]

It's foolish. What else . confuses young Sikhs. Or new to sikhi individuals we need to decide how to prevent this. This is just annoying. Taking away from the sikhi we have.

Bump.... Need Ideas

Hmm.. Good. See I have posted some ideas in there,

First we need to get the question removed somehow.

It will be great if you can get the attention of more people towards this topic. I have tired but no one is turning up.

We need more people so that we can all can mail any Quora admin and aks him to get the question removed with the answers. I have already done this. But more mails need to be sent , the only they will take action it seems.

We can also unitedly report the answers and the question . That may also help.

But I thnk we should all should send a request messgae to the admin first. Once more people are gathere. I will share the mail contents and the contact details of the admin.

[Not2Cool2Argue 882]

I don't think we should get the question removed. If people want to leave Sikhi, good let them. I hate it when people have hair/turban/patka but smoke, have girlfriends, go to bars...etc. It's better to be the few and proud. Then the many and half-hearted. So let this "advise" stay for them. BUT I DO Agree that we need an alternative viewpoint. So perhaps you can start a thread here about why you all keep your hair, and your turban, and what you like about it. Then repost those answers on quora.

[jkvlondon 6,721]

I don't think we should get the question removed. If people want to leave Sikhi, good let them. I hate it when people have hair/turban/patka but smoke, have girlfriends, go to bars...etc. It's better to be the few and proud. Then the many and half-hearted. So let this "advise" stay for them. BUT I DO Agree that we need an alternative viewpoint. So perhaps you can start a thread here about why you all keep your hair, and your turban, and what you like about it. Then repost those answers on quora.

if they have never been shown or told any different by their besharam elders , surely it is our duty to remind them of what a Sikh is and should be like ??

[savinderpalsingh 708]

i think to prevent these a branch should be setup in every gurudwara with a total of 3-4 singhs who keep an eye on all of these forums , and answer the confused singhs

[Anad 5]

I don't think we should get the question removed. If people want to leave Sikhi, good let them. I hate it when people have hair/turban/patka but smoke, have girlfriends, go to bars...etc. It's better to be the few and proud. Then the many and half-hearted. So let this "advise" stay for them. BUT I DO Agree that we need an alternative viewpoint. So perhaps you can start a thread here about why you all keep your hair, and your turban, and what you like about it. Then repost those answers on quora.

I agree that getting the question removed is not a solution. But look at the other way round too. A question is acceptable as long as it is getting genuine answers. Did you go through the answers there?

The answers are simply stupid.

I agree also that is is better to be the few and proud. And we have no right to force Sikhi on others. However we do have a responsibility to speak up when 'Sikhism' itself is being portrayed in wrong light.

We have no problem in what they do, what they follow but when they justify their actions by poinitng their fingers at the teachings of Sikhism and say that these things are not useful etc, and not only that ,they even guide others to move away.

You will be shocked to read this answer. Read the question and answer here:

http://www.quora.com/Are-there-any-Sikh-atheists-Do-they-cut-off-their-hair/answer/Jas-Anand

Ill even post the answer here:

"The Question is in its effect divisive. One can't be a SIkh and an atheist at the same time - as Sikhism does teach following one God.

The second part - Yes. Sikhism was alive and present before Sikhs ever kept uncut hair and will remain afterwards we are gone too. Same way as Guru Nanak's hair was never uncut - or was later Gurus - It doesn't mean that the rest were not Sikhs of Nanak - They were. Nanak never taught cutting or not cutting of hair.

Till almost 200 years and 9 Gurus later. Even Gobind's hair was shorn - but he chose to adopt a new path of Khalsa to fight the tyranny.

So you can chose to be a Sehajdhari Sikh or a Khalsa Sikh (with all 5ks) - Both paths are based on the same underlying Granth.

However it's imperative to note that Sri Guru Granth Sahib or its writers - from various saints to the Nine Gurus never had full hair. So, it doesn't mean that if you don't have hair / you are bald / you may not be Sikh - Yes faith in the Guru Granth Sahib is required.

Yes you may not be Khalsa - if you don't have (hair) or any other of the five K's. (Literally speaking)"

So here you go. He says that none of the nine Gurus had full hair !!:O.

Even Dasam Pita had shorn hair before Amrit. :-(

So many people are reading these answers. What will they understand from this wrong information on Sikhism, and that too when the person posting the answer claims to be a Sikh.

( He also says in another answer that He has always been a Sikh w/o a turban/hair. As I said we don' care what he does, but when people come up claim wrong history of Sikhism, of the Gurus, the of course there

is a problem).

Therefore, the problem is not of such youth etc moving away from Sikhi, but the problem lies in their wrong portrayal of the teachings and of the history of Gurus, which can greatly misguide not only the Sikhs but also the non-Sikhs about Sikhism.

[hsingh8963 374]

We need more positive Information. On Quora and other websites

[jkvlondon 6,721]

I agree that getting the question removed is not a solution. But look at the other way round too. A question is acceptable as long as it is getting genuine answers. Did you go through the answers there?

The answers are simply stupid.

I agree also that is is better to be the few and proud. And we have no right to force Sikhi on others. However we do have a responsibility to speak up when 'Sikhism' itself is being portrayed in wrong light.

We have no problem in what they do, what they follow but when they justify their actions by poinitng their fingers at the teachings of Sikhism and say that these things are not useful etc, and not only that ,they even guide others to move away.

You will be shocked to read this answer. Read the question and answer here:

http://www.quora.com/Are-there-any-Sikh-atheists-Do-they-cut-off-their-hair/answer/Jas-Anand

Ill even post the answer here:

"The Question is in its effect divisive. One can't be a SIkh and an atheist at the same time - as Sikhism does teach following one God.

The second part - Yes. Sikhism was alive and present before Sikhs ever kept uncut hair and will remain afterwards we are gone too. Same way as Guru Nanak's hair was never uncut - or was later Gurus - It doesn't mean that the rest were not Sikhs of Nanak - They were. Nanak never taught cutting or not cutting of hair.

Till almost 200 years and 9 Gurus later. Even Gobind's hair was shorn - but he chose to adopt a new path of Khalsa to fight the tyranny.

So you can chose to be a Sehajdhari Sikh or a Khalsa Sikh (with all 5ks) - Both paths are based on the same underlying Granth.

However it's imperative to note that Sri Guru Granth Sahib or its writers - from various saints to the Nine Gurus never had full hair. So, it doesn't mean that if you don't have hair / you are bald / you may not be Sikh - Yes faith in the Guru Granth Sahib is required.

Yes you may not be Khalsa - if you don't have (hair) or any other of the five K's. (Literally speaking)"

So here you go. He says that none of the nine Gurus had full hair !!:O.

Even Dasam Pita had shorn hair before Amrit. :-(

So many people are reading these answers. What will they understand from this wrong information on Sikhism, and that too when the person posting the answer claims to be a Sikh.

( He also says in another answer that He has always been a Sikh w/o a turban/hair. As I said we don' care what he does, but when people come up claim wrong history of Sikhism, of the Gurus, the of course there

is a problem).

Therefore, the problem is not of such youth etc moving away from Sikhi, but the problem lies in their wrong portrayal of the teachings and of the history of Gurus, which can greatly misguide not only the Sikhs but also the non-Sikhs about Sikhism.

I think we need to knock each and every myth that is being presented by Monay and RSS as our 'history' down with full disclosure and Gurbani / itihaasic proofs

such as Guru Gobind Singh ONLY specified Kesh as a requirement for Sikhs....so many years I've hit this one down as Sikhs of 'Guru Nanak' claim this as the reason why they are Monay...this is insulting all the Gurus as not being one jyot .

[hsingh8963 374]

Problem is people are so misinformed they don't even believe in Dssam BanI. and things like Sri Sooraj Prakash. Are deemed to be completely false

[jkvlondon 6,721]

Problem is people are so misinformed they don't even believe in Dssam BanI. and things like Sri Sooraj Prakash. Are deemed to be completely false

The trouble is most people are not aware of even 1% of sikh itihaas , although if they realised that Guru Gobind Singh ji did ucharan of Jaap Sahib when he was 19 years old it would put a different complexion on things that the missionary faction are trying to spread ...

[Anad 5]

I think we need to knock each and every myth that is being presented by Monay and RSS as our 'history' down with full disclosure and Gurbani / itihaasic proofs

such as Guru Gobind Singh ONLY specified Kesh as a requirement for Sikhs....so many years I've hit this one down as Sikhs of 'Guru Nanak' claim this as the reason why they are Monay...this is insulting all the Gurus as not being one jyot .

I have mentioned all the points in a comment to the answer (if you check the link). Hair keeping was definitely in practice since the times of Guru Nanak Dev Jee. These people are trying to differentiate between 'Khalsa' and 'Sikhism' which is stupid.

Definitely we should also use our freedom of speech, and in a united manner correct such misconceptions, either by commenting on such answers, or by downvoting it in huge numbers so that such false information is removed from the internet.

[Anad 5]

Heres another such attempt to demean the Sikh practices:

http://www.quora.com/I-have-become-a-clean-shaven-man-from-a-bearded-sikh-I-live-in-India-with-my-parents-and-I-did-not-ask-for-my-parents-permission-for-the-same-They-have-told-me-to-leave-their-home-within-a-year-What-should-I-do

Please Read and Comment.