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Sikhism: Peace and Conflict

Sikh attitudes to pacifism and passive resistance

  • 3 things to know
  • Paper 2

Overview

Why most Sikhs are not pacifists, the change after Guru Arjan's death, Ang 831, Guru Tegh Bahadur, and the Akali movement at Nankana Sahib in 1921 and Guru ka Bagh in 1922.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

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Key term

How did Sikh attitudes to the use of force change after Guru Arjan?

Key term

What is pacifism, which most Sikhs do not hold?

Key term

Why are most Sikhs not pacifists?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    What is pacifism, which most Sikhs do not hold?

    Model answer

    Pacifism is the belief that violence and war are always wrong. Pacifists refuse to fight, even in self-defence.

  2. 2

    Why are most Sikhs not pacifists?

    Model answer

    Sikhs believe force may be used as a last resort to defend the innocent. Sikhism values peace, but not at the cost of allowing oppression.

  3. 3

    How did the early Gurus show a peaceful approach?

    Model answer

    The first five Gurus, from Guru Nanak to Guru Arjan, never raised an army. Guru Arjan accepted martyrdom without fighting back.

  4. 4

    How did the Sikh attitude to force change after Guru Arjan's death?

    Model answer

    Guru Hargobind began to wear two swords, miri and piri, for worldly and spiritual authority. Guru Hargobind trained Sikhs to defend themselves.

  5. 5

    What does Ang 831 teach about the goal of peace?

    Model answer

    Ang 831, by Guru Tegh Bahadur, teaches that giving up pride and attachment brings liberation. Peace is the true goal of spiritual life.

  6. 6

    What is passive resistance, as practised in Sikh history?

    Model answer

    Passive resistance means opposing injustice without violence, for example by protest or refusal to obey. The protester accepts suffering rather than inflicting it.

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Miri means worldly or political authority.
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