Why do Sikhs own liquor stores and bars?

[fionaaboud]

While I am not a Sikh, I have been photographing Sikhs around the country for a book. I also thought it was strange that Sikhs own liquor stores. I have photographed a Sikh man in Atlanta who owns a liquor store and his answer was simply that it is the only business that is closed on Sunday, so he can attend Gurdwara. The majority of Sikhs I have photographed own their own business partially because they were not able to get jobs because of the turban. Coming to this country as an immigrant is not easy so I commend how entrepreneurial Sikhs are because of the challenges they face.

[germancrownr_1989]

Although, I cannot answer your question from a sikhi perspective through the recitation of the gurbani, but I can answer your question from an analytic perspective. I can relate to this post because my father used to own liquor stores... Although, it is paradoxical to sikhi philosophy, the operation of running a business has beneficial spillover benefits. For, the employees hired at these liquor stores are newly-arrived immigrants, who are embedded with unsatiable hunger for opportunity.

Through the operation of liquor stores/ bars/ etc., the owners are responsible for hiring employees and providing them with the opportunity to earn a substantial living. Many American/English/European Employeers are usually hesitant in hiring these newly-arrived immigrants, due to negative pre-conceived notions. Analogically, this brings in the philosphy over the granthis. For granthis are permitted to marry and produce children, in order to guide sikh followers in certain perils of life -- How can one preach about the difficulties of marriage and raising family, if that person does not have a family himself? This is opposite to Catholic priests. For many owners can perceive a similar philosophy, for they are earning a living in an honest manner and for benefit reasons -- raising a family, putting food on the table, paying the mortgage they are able to justify their actions. Many liquor stores owners in my area have expanded their business to such a point, many have become mutli-millionaires. They justify their actions by donating large amounts of money and time to the gudwarha. For, there will always be a demmand for alochol, tobacco, gambling that by profiting and operating a business as such, can be very beneficial

[5ikh]

Although, I cannot answer your question from a sikhi perspective through the recitation of the gurbani, but I can answer your question from an analytic perspective. I can relate to this post because my father used to own liquor stores... Although, it is paradoxical to sikhi philosophy, the operation of running a business has beneficial spillover benefits. For, the employees hired at these liquor stores are newly-arrived immigrants, who are embedded with unsatiable hunger for opportunity.

Through the operation of liquor stores/ bars/ etc., the owners are responsible for hiring employees and providing them with the opportunity to earn a substantial living. Many American/English/European Employeers are usually hesitant in hiring these newly-arrived immigrants, due to negative pre-conceived notions. Analogically, this brings in the philosphy over the granthis. For granthis are permitted to marry and produce children, in order to guide sikh followers in certain perils of life -- How can one preach about the difficulties of marriage and raising family, if that person does not have a family himself? This is opposite to Catholic priests. For many owners can perceive a similar philosophy, for they are earning a living in an honest manner and for benefit reasons -- raising a family, putting food on the table, paying the mortgage they are able to justify their actions. Many liquor stores owners in my area have expanded their business to such a point, many have become mutli-millionaires. They justify their actions by donating large amounts of money and time to the gudwarha. For, there will always be a demmand for alochol, tobacco, gambling that by profiting and operating a business as such, can be very beneficial

The ends don't justfy the means. Your perspective is one sided. Look at the results of selling alcohol for who consume it and their direct and indirect surrounding. Many are affected negatively. The cons outweigh the pros here.

Guru Nanak Dev ji, didn't eat from a person that did not make an honest living. Making an honest living is practiced in Sikhi.

[karakara]

I know there are some on this forum who will make endless excuses, rationalizations and equivocations to defend such behavior, but by their silence, they condone it. It's a simple equation -- courage born of conviction, or cowardice born of apathy and defeat. We have an obligation to confront such individuals.

Karakara Ji,

You might be right. But I believe it takes the right person to confront such people.

If you just go up to them and say something like, "You're a Sikh. Why are you doing such stuff?", this would probably make them think or say something in the line of "It's none of your business" and put them in a defensive stance. Deep inside they know that what they're doing is wrong. They need to made feel guilty about this in a way such that they're forced to look inside and accept they're wrong rather than blame the society or something else. We don't want to hurt their feelings and send them in a psychologically worse state. They might already be going through a rough time. I believe that unless you're sure what you're doing will actually help you shouldn't just go up to them and try to make them feel bad about themselves.


Satnam,
Jaspreet Singh

Jaspreet Singh ji,

I couldn't agree more with your analysis. I'm sure that there is a right way and a wrong way to confront this issue, and as you say, confronting them in a hostile manner might amount to assault and push one into a defensive mode. Of course, as you say, they know they are wrong. But whether one is sure or not, someone must have the courage (we call it 'tough love' in the U.S.) to confront a Sikh who sells liquor. Whether done as a responsibility of local Gurdwara or just by a concerned person, these people must realize that their actions amount to hypocrisy and harm us all. As far as cutting off someone's income, well, if this is a profitable liquor store, then putting it for sale will quickly bring about a buy/new ownership, and this will provide the seed money for a new, honorable business.

Satnam