Venkat Raman –
The Sikh community has been an integral part of the New Zealand society since the later part of the 19th Century; in fact, 2015 will mark the 125th Anniversary of the arrival of Sikhs from India.
Since then, they have been partners in the progress of our economy. As agriculturists, horticulturists, property developers, entrepreneurs, industrialists, barristers, solicitors, lawyers, accountants and as other professionals, they have achieved success, bringing pride and joy to their families, communities and the Nation.
Sikhs are known as friendly and hard-working people, easily adapting themselves to the laws and practices of every country, society and community of domicile. They have been a source of inspiration as a unified force.
The first India-born Member of Parliament is a Sikh; Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi has been a lawmaker on the National Party List since 2008.
Colour and Honour
Sikhs have worn the Kirpan in New Zealand for more than 100 years unquestioned, until March 14, 2015 when a group of seven Sikhs were barred from entering Eden Park to watch India play Zimbabwe at the Cricket World Cup.
The following piece from sikhanswers.com, argues why the Kirpan should not be banned anywhere.
The Kirpan is a religious sword worn in a strap, suspended near one’s waist or tucked inside the belt.
It must be worn by all initiated Sikhs (Khalsa) after a mandatory religious commandment given by Guru Gobind Singh Ji (the tenth Sikh Guru) in 1699.
The Kirpan is part of the ‘Five Ks’ uniform to be adhered by all initiated Sikhs.
Sikhs wear Kirpan not because it is a weapon but because it is part of their officially prescribed religious uniform.
Code of Conduct
The Khalsa is expected to live by the high moral standards of the Sikh Gurus at all times as stipulated in Guru Granth Sahib and Rehat Maryada (Sikh Code of Conduct).
The Code includes abstaining from smoking, drinking alcohol and other intoxicants, performing daily prayers and always maintaining the five distinctive physical symbols of Sikhi (Kakars) on them.
The most noticeable of these symbols being uncut hair (Kesh) and Kirpan.
Traditionally, Kirpans can have blades as large as three feet as carried by Sikhs on religious festivals, marriages and parades, or as small as a few inches like those worn by the devotees in the West.
They can be worn either above or underneath one’s clothing.
The blade is normally constructed of mild steel or iron and the handle may be made of metal surrounded with leather or wood.
Religious freedom
The law recognises that religious freedom is primarily a matter of individual conscience and that it does carry with it the “freedom to manifest one’s religion, alone and in private, or in community with others, in public and within the circle of those whose faith one shares.”
Indeed, the various forms that the manifestation of one’s religion or belief may take specifically include ‘practice and observance.’
However, the Kirpan has faced some challenges in the West. It has been argued that it is potentially dangerous and a health and safety risk.
One could argue that a knife is dangerous or that scissors are dangerous, but they are not inherently so. Hands may be dangerous. A knife may be used for cooking purposes or to kill a person. Scissors may be used to cut paper in the classroom, or kill someone.
Out of context
In the same way, our hands may be used to greet, eat food, embrace friends or strangle someone’s neck. That does not make our hands inherently dangerous.
Outside its context, it is devoid of meaning.
To ban it on this basis is liberalism of the worst kind.
It does nothing to promote individual freedom, certainly not the freedom of individual believers. One might just as well ban knives in the kitchen, scissors in the classroom, or the use of our hands outside the home.
Wrong perception
The reason why the Sikh Kirpan is deemed unacceptable in the Western societies is that its contextual significance is not always appreciated in that society.
It is imperative that the Kirpan is not seen as intrinsically dangerous.
This is because there is no evidence to support such a proposition. Authorities need to take positive steps to develop a better and more informed understanding of the Kirpan as worn by devout Sikhs.
