All kirpan images are from the craftsmanship of Jot Singh [khalsakirpans.com].
Current Events
Sir Mota Singh Speaks Out On The Kirpan
by MATTHEW MOORE
Sir Mota Singh defended the right of Sikhs to wear the five inch Kirpans in public amid a growing revolt against a perceived clampdown on religious freedom in schools in Great Britain.
Last year a boy was forced to leave his school in Barnet in north London because of a ban on kirpans, which must be carried by every Sikh after initiation into the Khalsa.
Sikh, Christian and Muslim teenagers have taken their schools to court in recent years for the right to wear jewellery and clothing that they claim is central to their faith.
Sir Mota Singh, a Sikh who was born in Kenya but spent his entire life in Britain, said: "Not allowing someone who is baptised to wear the Kirpan is not right."
He added: "I see no objection to a young Sikh girl or boy, who's been baptised, being allowed to wear the Kirpan if that's what they want to do.
"I wear my Kirpan and I've always worn it for the last 35 to 50 years, even when I was sitting in court or visiting public buildings, including Buckingham Palace."
The family of the Barnet teenager last night seized on the retired judge's support and called for Ed Balls, the Schools Secretary, to give unambiguous advice to schools that Kirpans should not be banned.
Currently the responsibility for uniforms rules lies with individual schools and local authorities, although they must abide by the Human Rights Act, which guarantees freedom of religion.
Mejindarpal Kaur of the 'United Sikhs', which is representing the boy's family, said: "We would like the Secretary of State for schools to make a categorical and clear indication that kirpans are allowed in school.
"We are very encouraged by the judicious comments from someone who is not only a practising Sikh but an honest judge who has had to make difficult decisions about rights and justice."
She said: "Sikhs are not arguing for British people to accept something new - just for the country's traditions of religious freedom to be upheld and acknowledged."
The boy's family are still deciding whether to bring a discrimination claim against the Compton School in Barnet, which said it imposed the ban for safety reasons. He refused the school's compromise offer which would have allowed him to wear a two inch replica kirpan welded into a sheath.
The teenager is now being educated at private school where Kirpans are accepted after his parents took out a loan to cover the fees.
Sir Mota Singh, who is now retired, called for Sikhs to be allowed to carry the kirpans, which are attached to a cloth belt beneath the clothes, in all public places. "There have been problems for Sikhs going to tourist attractions," he said.
After his appointment to the bench in 1982, Britain's first Asian judge attracted attention by wearing a white turban instead of a wig in court. He was knighted in the 2010 New Year's Honours List.
Two years ago Sarika Watkins-Singh, 14, won a High Court victory against "no jewellery" rules at her school in South Wales that prevented her from wearing the Kara, a bracelet worn by all Sikhs as an article of faith. The Kara and the Kirpan are two of the five "articles of faith" that are obligatory for all Sikhs.
In 2005 Shabina Begum, a Muslim teenager from Luton, won court approval to wear a head-to-toe jilbab to school, subsequently overturned by the House of Lords.
But in 2007, the High Court ruled that a school which banned Christian teenager Lydia Playfoot from wearing a "purity" ring to symbolise her opposition to sex before marriage did not discriminate against her religious beliefs.[Wearing a "purity" ring is not a religious requirement of any Christian denomination.]
[Courtesy: The Telegraph]
February 12, 2010
Conversation about this article
1: Gurjender Singh (Maryland, U.S.A), February 12, 2010, 10:16 AM.
Sir Mota Singh's views about Kirpan should be considered and respected. The Govt. officials are only worried when people wearing a kirpan misuse it. [Editor: There are criminal laws in place to address any infractions. Also, there is no evidence to suggest that that there is a worrisome frequency of misuse of kirpan in the diaspora. All of these factors were extensively considered by the Canadian courts before they approved the wearing of a kirpan in schools, etc.]