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A number of recent controversies have highlighted the importance of religious symbols in contemporary British society. As one of the most distinctive minority ethnic communities in Britain today, Sikhs are always affected by these controversies as many maintain an external identity, the most important aspects of which are arguably uncut hair and the turban. This article presents the results of a qualitative study into the perspectives of young British Sikhs (18-32) on hair and the turban. Twenty five semistructured interviews were conducted with young Sikhs who treat these articles of faith in different ways. The interviews focused on understanding how young British Sikhs view the keeping of the hair and turban, what these Sikh symbols mean to them, what issues they face in keeping an external identity, and how keeping these symbols fits in with the idea of being British and Sikh. Although the importance of these symbols is unique to each individual, the findings may enhance our understanding of why the maintenance of external religious symbols is still important for many young people today.

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This article explores the impact of the digital online environment on the religious lives of Sikhs with a particular focus on the emergence of the 'Digital Guru', i.e. digital versions of the Guru Granth Sahib. Using data gathered through interviews and an online survey, I examine how the 'Digital Guru' is impacting on the transmission of the Sikh tradition and on Sikh religious authority. I then explore some of the issues faced in engaging with the 'Digital Guru' and the consequences of the emergence of online translations. Given that 'going online' has become an everyday practice for many, this article contributes to understandings of the impact of the online environment on the religious adherents in general, and on Sikhs in particular.