ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the cast greater light on the manner in which religious worship communities are involved in the process of negotiating, maintaining and transmitting immigrants' identities. The gurdwara is for many Sikhs of the first generation a temporary escape from the Finnish culture into a familiar cultural and religious environment. Religious Communities and the new Immigration, a prime motivation for immigrants to found religious organizations is to pass on their heritage to their children. The Sikhs have been chosen for this case study because of their distinctive religious traditions and because combined with other South Asians they are one of the fastest growing immigrant groups in Finland. The Sikh gurdwara community in Finland has been registered as a religious community since 8 May 1998. In the beginning, Sikhs used to gather at rented public places for their religious gatherings once a month. The chapter explains the renovation project was financed by offerings made by members of the congregation.
