I do not measure the Gurus against general liberalism. I measure them against neo-sikh liberalism, which does not make a distinction between now and then. It simply says that the Gurus believed in these ideals - which i call the neo-sikh ideals - and that these ideals is what they, neo-sikhs, believe in also. They are caught in the trap, not me. I only show the folly of their view by showing real discrepancies between fact and neo-sikhism.
I do not describe the sikh Gurus by only one word. I say that they were largely conservative because thats the reasonable assumption unless evidence exists to the contrary. Neo-sikhs, unavoidably, imply that the Sikh gurus were liberal. This is because if you accept neo-sikhism, then it follows that the sikh Gurus wanted neo-sikh ideals of liberalism. I use the word 'neo-sikh' to describe such people because it is accurate and meaningful as they are characterised by such a quality.
I fully agree that sikhi is complex. Holding this demands going further than just mere ideology, which is usually the sole domain neo-sikhs thrive in, even when they claim to be rational and thoughtful because they reject conservativism. The way this usually works is a neo-sikh will begin by taking a superficial look at existing sikh society - having in mind some (usually trivial) problem - and chastising sikhs for not being true enough to sikhism, for practising group thinking, or something similar. He will propose that sikhs are corrupted by 'panjabi culture', the 'media' or something like that. He implies ofcourse, that he is not such a person, because he acts independently of peer or social pressure. This partially explains the fetish liberals have for autonomy - because it is from this main axiom that they derive the rest of their ideology. Neo-sikhs just havent made the intellectual progression of realising that if they consistently adopt liberal ideals, then rejecting particular cases of it amounts to hypocrisy. Once they cross that bridge, they are no longer just neo-sikhs, they become full blown liberals.
