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FAITH AND RELIGION
Indian
Places of Worship in Sunderland:
There is no Hindu Temple in Sunderland, with the nearest one being in Newcastle
The Hindu Temple
West Road
Newcastle upon Tyne, NE4 9QB
The local Sikh community elders can be contacted at the Gurdwara/association:
Sunderland Sikh Association
The Cloiters
Ashbrooke
Sunderland
SR2 2DE
Tel: 0191 567 2939
Places of Muslim Worship in Sunderland:
Sunderland Jami Masjid
73 – 75 Chester Road
Sunderland, SR2 7PN
Hendon Jami Masjid & Islamic Society
2 Salisbury St.
Hendon
Sunderland, SR1 2QR
The most popular faiths/religions in the Indian community are:
Hinduism is the main religion of India, but the beliefs of Hinduism are difficult to describe. Idols
(hand made earthen or metallic statues) are used to represent the different forms of
God/Goddess but followers believe in one supreme God, Brahmma.
Worship or Puja for respective Gods/Goddess can be done at home as well as in the temple.
Purification through ritual cleansing is a necessity prior to worship, as is having no food and the
removal of leather items including shoes.
The Vedas are the main scriptual texts of Hinduism. All the duties of the Hindus at birth,
marriage, death etc. are performed according to Vedic rituals.
Sikhism
Sikhism was founded in the 16th century in the Punjab district of what is now India and
Pakistan. It was founded by Guru Nanak and is based on his teachings, and those of the 9 Sikh
gurus who followed him.
The most important thing in Sikhism is the internal religious state of the individual.
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Sikhism is a monotheistic religion
Sikhism stresses the importance of doing good actions rather than merely carrying out
rituals
Sikhs believe that the way to lead a good life is to:
o keep God in heart and mind at all times
o live honestly and work hard
treat everyone equally
be generous to the less fortunate
serve others
The Sikh place of worship is called a Gurdwara
The Sikh scripture is the Guru Granth Sahib, a book that Sikhs consider a living Guru
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Sikhs focus their lives around their relationship with God, and being a part of the Sikh
community. The Sikh ideal combines action and belief. To live a good life a person should do
good deeds as well as meditating on God.
Sikhs believe that human beings spend their time in a cycle of birth, life, and rebirth. They share
this belief with followers of other Indian religious traditions such as Hinduism, Buddhism and
Jainism.
The quality of each particular life depends on the law of Karma. Karma sets the quality of a life
according to how well or badly a person behaved in their previous life. The only way out of this
cycle, which all faiths regard as painful, is to achieve a total knowledge of and union with God.
Islam
Islam - a way of life, is the state religion in Bangladesh, and a follower is called Muslim. Islam
has two meanings – “peace” and “submission” to the will of Allah (God).
There are two major denominations in Islamic faith; the Sunni, comprising over 85% of
followers, and the Shi’ets with 13%.
The basic five principles of Islam, known as pillars of Islam are:
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Bearing the witness of Oneness of Allah and upon all the prophets, Mohammed being
the last messenger of Allah
Prayer
Fasting during the month of Ramadhan
Paying the poor dues (Zakat, Charity)
Pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj)
The divine scripture is the Quran (words of the creator) revealed to Prophet Mohammed.
Muslims pray 5 times a day; hours of prayer are fixed, based on the position of the sun in the
sky. All Muslims must perform a ritual wash (Wadhu) before praying. Prayers are:
• Fajr - before sunrise
• Zuhr - early hours of the afternoon
• Asor - late afternoon
• Maghrib - sunset
• Isha - beginning of the nautical twilight hour
There is a weekly congregational prayer called Jummah and this takes place instead of Zuhr on
Friday.
Islamic Etiquette includes greeting others with "As-Salamu ‘Alaikum" (peace be unto you),
saying Bismillah (in the name of Allah) before meals.
Notable Dates and Festivals
India has a rich diversity of festivals, many of which are celebrated irrespective of caste and
creed. The most widely known and popular celebrations include:-
Secular (Non-religious) Festivals:
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Independence Day - 15th of August
Baisakhi/Harvest Festivals – The first day of the Hindu new year (Mid January) is marked
by Baisakhi, a harvest festival. In the south, the festival Pongal coincides with this. In
Kerala the harvest festival is called Onam and is the new year’s day of the Malayalam
(Kerala state language) calendar that corresponds to the months of August – September.
Holi – one of the important festivals of northern India is the festival of colours, which is
celebrated marking the end of winter and greets the advent of spring.
Religious
Hindu
• Diwali/Deepavali – Festival of Light is a major Hindu festival although Sikhs and
Buddhists are also known to partake in the celebration. This symbolises the victory of
good over evil and is to celebrate life and strengthened relationships, falls normally in
October/November on the last day of the lunar month.
• Dussera/Drga Puja – marks the triumph of Lord Rama (Hindu warrior) over the demon
King Ravana and his kingdom Lanka, falls exactly after 20 days of Diwali.
Muslim
• Eidul Fitr - Islamic festival at the end of fasting month of Ramadhan (1st Shawal)
• Eidul Adha - Islamic festival on the 10th day of the 12th month of Zilhujja
• Ashura – 10th day of first month (Muharram) in Islamic calendar, is commemorated by the
Muslims traditionally on which Noah’s ark came to rest, Ka’ba in Mecca was built and
also for the remembrance of the martyred Hussain
• Milad-un-Nabi – Celebration of Prophet Mohammad’s birthday on the 3rd month of Islamic
calendar (National holiday)
• Shab-i-Qadr- 27th night of Ramadhan (Night of Power)
Sikh
• Guru Purnima – on the full moon day in the Hindu month of Kartik (November), the Sikhs
celebrate the birth of Guru Nanak the founder of the faith. Lamps are lit and meals and
sherbet (drinks) are served to all.