Document #1050865
IRB – Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (Author)
Each chapter of the Sikh sacred book, the
Adi Granth, begins with the invocation "EK ONKAR
SATGURUPARSAD", which means "The only God, by the grace of guru,
worship" (Eliade 1987, 317). Only one reference regarding tattoos
was located in the IRBDC data bank: it reports the comments of a
man wearing a tattoo of Guru Nanak on his hand (The Washington
Post 28 Oct. 1989). Another source mentions the existence of
saffron-coloured stickers with Sikh phrases on them (Mulgrew 1988,
111).
According to a University of British
Columbia (UBC) Professor specializing in Sikh and Punjabi issues, a
tattoo on the right hand saying "EK ONKAR" does not have any
religious or political implications for Sikhs (17 June 1992). Those
people belonging to specific sects or denominations within the Sikh
faith sometimes indicate their orientation through the way they
wrap their turbans or the colour of their clothes (Ibid.).
The habit of wearing a tattoo is common in rural areas, and is also
encountered in cities, although it is tending to disappear
(Ibid.).
A representative of the World Sikh
Organization offices in Ottawa confirmed that the above-mentioned
tattoo has no religious or political implication for Sikhs (10 June
1992). Such tattoos are quite common for men in the Sikh religion,
and their only purpose is to confirm their belief in the unity of
God (Ibid.).
Eliade, Mircea, ed. 1987. The
Encyclopedia of Religion, Vol. 13. New York: Macmillan.
Mulgrew, Ian. 1988. Unholy
Terror. Toronto: Key Porter Books, p. 111.
University of British Columbia (UBC),
Department of Asian Studies, Vancouver. 17 June 1992. Telephone
Interview with a Professor of Sikh Studies.
The Washington Post. 28 October
1989. "'Road Kings' Truck Across India; Daring Drivers Live
Dangerously on Ancient Highway." (NEXIS)
World Sikh Organization (WSO), Ottawa.
10 June 1992. Telephone Interview with an Executive Assistant.
Eliade, Mircea, ed. 1987. The
Encyclopedia of Religion, Vol. 13. New York: Macmillan, pp.,
315-320.
Mulgrew, Ian. 1988. Unholy
Terror. Toronto: Key Porter Books, p. 111.
The Washington Post. 28 October
1989. "'Road Kings' Truck Across India; Daring Drivers Live
Dangerously on Ancient Highway." (NEXIS)