Sikhism

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re unsuccessful. It has been said of one of the Sikh Gurus (considered by many Sikhs to have been the last guru) that "Had there been no Guru Gobind Singh, the entire country would have gotten circumcised" i.e. been converted to Islam.
In 1801, Maharaja Ranjit Singh founded the Sikh state of Punjab in Northern India. According to a historian Vincent Smith, "The Punjab State was neither a traditional Indian territorial State and monarchy, nor merely a dictatorship of one community over another. There was an element of partnership with other communities."
An invasion by Great Britain triggered the Sikh Wars (1845-1849). The British successfully gained control over all of India. After independence in 1947, occupied India was partitioned on religious grounds into a mostly Muslim Pakistan and mostly Hindu India. A mass migration of Sikhs from Pakistan to India and a reverse migration of Muslims resulted. The Sikhs have been seeking an independent homeland since the late 1940's.
Sikhs number about 22.5 million worldwide. 1 Most live in the Punjab. Close to 500,000 live in North America, 1 of who about 150,000 live in Canada. 2

Sikh Holy Texts:
The tenth Guru, Gobind Singh compiled the Siri Guru Granth Sahib. It consists of hymns and writings of the first 10 Gurus, along with religious text from different Muslim and Hindu saints like: Kabir Ji, Baba Sheik Farid Ji, Bhagat Namdev, Bhagat Rav Dass Ji, etc. The Shri Guru Granth is considered the 11th and final Guru and the Sikh's holiest religious text. It was made so by Shri Guru Gobind Singh Ji. "The Khalsa Consensus Translation [of the Guru Granth Sahib]...is regarded by some Sikh scholars as being among the finest and most accurate English translation currently available." It is available online at http://www.sikhs.org/english/frame.html

Sikh Beliefs:
Beliefs include:
Goal: The goal of Sikhs is to build a close, loving relationship with God.
Deity: Sikhs believe in a single, Form...