The central tenet of Sikhism is doing good deeds in this life in order to ensure a place with God in the afterlife, a stance at odds with the hate-filled gunman who opened fire in a temple near Milwaukee.

The world fifth-most popular religion numbers between 25 million and 30 million practitioners, with about 20 million in India and more than a half-million in the U.S. All consider themselves equal and the guru who founded Sikhism more than 500 years ago taught that all religions can be positive forces in the world. South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and former congressmen Martin Hoke (R-Ohio) and Dalip Singh Saund (D-Calif.) are among the Sikhs who have gained prominence in the U.S.

Sikhs believe in a single God, and members must strive to make an honest living, engage with society and share with the needy. Sikhs reject the caste system, and consider men and women equals.

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