20 MORE religions and faith practices 349

Robyn Lebron and the long undergarments (kach) Men usually cover their hair with a turban made from a long thin strip of material wound around their head, and women cover their head and shoulders with a long scarf called a chuni What a Sikh wears other than that can vary enormously Whether wearing traditional clothing or not, a Sikh is very concerned about retaining the five Ks as far as possible It is important that the five Ks are never removed from a Sikh without their consent…If they have to be removed, they must be treated with utmost respect (for example, not place them on the floor or near to anyone’s feet as these are unclean places).28 Alcohol and Narcotics: Sikhs spend their lives looking to become one with God, and discovering the holy within themselves Because this spark of holiness is within us all, a Sikh considers one of their first duties is to look after their body and care for it as the container of their soul To this end, Sikhs avoid any substance that has been seen to any damage—temporary or permanent—to their bodies For this reason, alcohol, tobacco and all narcotic or intoxicating drugs are banned substances for Sikhs, both under general consensus and more specifically in the Gurū Granth Sāhib Any baptized Sikh who is found to have taken any of these substances will not only have to a penance in front of their entire community, but may even have to face the shame of being re-baptized all over again to wash away their transgression.29 Eating Meat: One area of prohibition that is still often debated is the injunction to refrain from eating some meats Translations of the Gurū Granth Sāhib seem simply to forbid the eating of meat that has been ritually slaughtered or prepared for another religion—such as meat This certainly ties in with the Gurus’ aim to remove unnecessary ritual from their lives, and in fact is one of the four founding taboos in Sikhism…For some Sikhs, this prohibition extends to cover all meat and meat products, no matter how the animal is slaughtered, and may even include eggs, fish, milk and other dairy products too For others, the meaning is much more limited and all meat apart from halal, kosher, beef and pork products may be eaten.30