dinsdag 29 september 2009

Sikhs Secure Right To Wear The Kirpan In 61 Schools In Six States

UNITED SIKHS

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This Press Release may be read online at: http://www.unitedsikhs.org/PressReleases/PRSRLS-24-09-2009-00.htm

Press Release: 24th Sep 2009,          10th Asu (Samvat 541 Nanakshahi )

Press Release

Sikhs Secure Right To Wear The Kirpan In 61 Schools In Six States

"We appreciate National Heritage Academies level-headed approach in addressing this important issue pertaining to fundamental religious freedoms. While UNITED SIKHS and the Sikh community do not want any restrictions to be placed on the wearing of the Kirpan, we believe this is an educational issue about the Kirpan and it will take time for people in the USA to realize that the Kirpan is not a weapon of offense, as they have in Canada and the UK." - Jaspreet Singh, Staff Attorney, UNITED SIKHS

"It really affects a child's growth when they cannot practice their faith freely. It is important for my daughter to have her freedom of religion, especially since she made her own commitment to become amrit-dhari last year. We thank UNITED SIKHS for their work on this case." - Gobinder Singh, Sukhmeet's father.

UNITED SIKHS encourages the Sikh community to wear their kakaars, fearlessly exercise their freedom of religion, and to contact us with any problems, concerns, or incidents of discrimination.

Battle Creek, MI, USA: Sikhs moved one step further in their continuous struggle to practice their religion freely. Sukhmeet Kaur, a Sikh student in the 8th grade, had been ordered by school authorities to remove her Kirpan during school hours or not come to school at all. The Kirpan is a short religious sword that is worn as one of five mandatory articles of faith by initiated Sikhs and reminds a Sikh of their duty to uphold truth and justice. After being contacted by Sukhmeet's father, Gobinder Singh, UNITED SIKHS legal team wrote to her school, the Endeavor Charter Academy in Springfield, MI. Endeavor is one of sixty-one schools run by the National Heritage Academies in six states.

Attorneys for National Heritage Academies responded earlier this month to UNITED SIKHS, stating that Sikh students enrolled at their schools would be allowed to carry the Kirpan, subject to certain restrictions. Commenting on the result, Gobinder Singh, Sukhmeet's father, stated, "It really affects a child's growth when they cannot practice their faith freely. It is important for my daughter to have her freedom of religion, especially since she made her own commitment to become amrit-dhari last year. We thank UNITED SIKHS for their work on this case."

The National Heritage Academies was first contacted by UNITED SIKHS in May 2009 with detailed information on the importance of the Kirpan, supporting case law, and an offer to conduct Sikh cultural awareness training for their staff. National Heritage Academies replied that they value their diverse pool of students and respect their rights, and would allow Sikh students to wear the Kirpan subject to certain restrictions.

The restrictions are as follows:

  1. Students are required to inform school officials before wearing the Kirpan to school;
  2. The student and their parents are required to sign an agreement that acknowledges that they will abide by the restrictions;
  3. The Kirpan blade must be dull and under 3 inches long;
  4. The Kirpan must be sewn tightly into its sheath, and worn under the clothing so that it is not visible;
  5. The student may not remove the Kirpan from its sheath or from under clothing while in school or at school activities;
  6. The student must allow periodic inspections of the Kirpan to ensure that these conditions are being met.

 

Commenting on the restrictions imposed by the Academies, Jaspreet Singh, UNITED SIKHS Staff Attorney stated, "We appreciate National Heritage Academies level-headed approach in addressing this important issue pertaining to fundamental religious freedoms. While UNITED SIKHS and the Sikh community do not want any restrictions to be placed on the wearing of the Kirpan, we believe this is an educational issue about the Kirpan and it will take time for people in the USA to realize that the Kirpan is not a weapon of offense, as they have in Canada and the UK." UNITED SIKHS will continue to advocate for the right to wear the Kirpan, and aims to reach a point where the world at large can understand the rich meaning of the Kirpan and the significance it has for Sikhs.

National Heritage Academies has sixty-one schools in Michigan, Ohio, Colorado, Indiana, North Carolina, and New York, and acknowledged that they will allow Sikh students to wear the Kirpan in their schools. Sikhs in the six states were pleased with the news. Tehal Singh, President, Sikh Cultural Society of New York, commented, "It is very good that Sikh students are being allowed to wear the Kirpan in these schools. In the future, we hope that public schools will also accommodate our children's right to practice their faith freely."

Lakhwinder Singh, President of the Sikh Society of Dayton, OH stated, "We welcome this accommodation and appreciate that the school has cooperated with UNITED SIKHS for the benefit of our children. We will continue to work with other schools and UNITED SIKHS to ensure that other schools also understand our community better."

Commenting on the decision, Dr. Gurnam Singh of Michigan stated, "The executive and the trust committees of Gurdwara Singh Sabha Kalamazoo laud the enlightened decision taken by the National Heritage Academies allowing their Sikh students to wear the Kirpan, one of the five articles of faith for the Sikhs. We are also very appreciative of the persistent efforts expended by UNITED SIKHS in promoting understanding of the Sikh faith in the community at large."

Parminder Kaur, President of Sikh Gurdwara of North Carolina stated, "Sikh Gurdwara of North Carolina and its membership are delighted to hear that the National Heritage Academies have made it possible for one of our fellow Sikhs, Sukhmeet Kaur, to continue to practice her faith by allowing her to wear the Kirpan, one of the five articles of faith for Sikhs. It is a significant step in recognizing the importance of tolerance for other religions and their practices, and we look forward to proliferation of such tolerance across other school systems in the United States. Both the National Heritage Academies and UNITED SIKHS are to be congratulated for their efforts."

Dr. Surendrapal Singh, President, Charlotte Gurdwara stated, "We appreciate the decision of the National Heritage Academies authorities to allow the wearing of the Kirpan by Sikh students. I also thank UNITED SIKHS for taking this task of educating School authorities about Sikh articles of faith."

UNITED SIKHS encourages the Sikh community to wear their kakaars, fearlessly exercise their freedom of religion, and to contact us with any problems, concerns, or incidents of discrimination. Kuldip Singh, Director, UNITED SIKHS stated, "I thank the Sikh community for their diligent work in bringing incidents like this one to our notice. These are important steps in our communities' civil rights advocacy."

To read a previous press release on UNITED SIKHS advocacy efforts around the Kirpan, please visit: http://unitedsikhs.org/PressReleases/PRSRLS-14-05-2009-00.htm.

Help us tailor our advocacy initiatives for the greatest global impact by participating in the Global Sikh Civil Rights Survey.

Donate to assist us in initiatives like this one; your donation is tax-deductible.

 

Issued by:
Harpreet Singh
Legal Director
International Civil and Human Rights Advocacy (ICHRA)
UNITED SIKHS
Phone: 646-315-3909
contact@unitedsikhs.org


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woensdag 16 september 2009

Sikhs moeten hun tulband afzetten

Sikhs moeten hun tulband afzetten

http://www.rorate.com/nws.php?id=57040

Geplaatst door onze redactie op dinsdag 15 september 2009 om 09:00u (Bron: VRT)

BRUSSEL (RKnieuws.net) - Het Centrum voor gelijke kansen en racismebestrijding is niet onverdeeld gelukkig met het verbod op religieuze symbolen in het gemeenschapsonderwijs. Dat blijkt nu ook gevolgen te hebben voor de sikh-gemeenschap.

Een sikh is een volgeling van het sikhisme, een monotheïstische godsdienst die ontstaan is in India. Wereldwijd zijn er ongeveer 23 miljoen sikhs, in ons land wonen er vooral sikhs in de Limburgse fruitstreek.

Een mannelijke sikh mag zijn haar niet knippen. Vanaf hun 15 jaar dragen sikhs een tulband om hun haar bijeen te houden. Het dragen van die tulband is een van de vereisten voor het sikh-geloof.

Nu er geen religieuze symbolen meer mogen worden gedragen in het gemeenschapsonderwijs, moeten jonge sikhs hun tulband afzetten tijdens de schooluren.

Het Centrum voor gelijkheid van kansen en racismebestrijding (CGKR) is niet onverdeeld gelukkig met het hoofddoekenverbod in het gemeenschapsonderwijs. Er mogen niet halsoverkop knopen worden doorgehakt, klinkt het.

De individuele vrijheid en de vrije meningsuiting moeten centraal staan in het debat, vindt het Centrum. Dat zijn fundamentele principes, die evenwel niet absoluut zijn en dus het voorwerp kunnen uitmaken van beperkingen. Als dat gebeurt, moeten die beperkingen wel zorgvuldig omschreven en gerechtvaardigd worden en proportioneel zijn.

Het Centrum vraagt zich af of de impact en de gevolgen van een algemeen hoofddoekenverbod voldoende zijn ingeschat. Er doen zich ongetwijfeld problemen voor in bepaalde scholen, maar een algemeen verbod is meer dan waarschijnlijk niet het meest aangewezen antwoord, klinkt het. "Deze reactie mist duidelijk de nuance en complexiteit die in dit debat onontbeerlijk zijn uit respect voor de vrijheid van geloofs- en levensovertuiging binnen onze samenleving."

Het Centrum meent dat de dialoog steeds voorrang moet krijgen en verkiest een constructieve en gedragen oplossing boven een éénzijdige beslissing.

Het Centrum vraagt zich ook af of de centrale raad van het gemeenschapsonderwijs wel bevoegd is om een algemeen hoofddoekenverbod in te voeren.

dinsdag 15 september 2009

Limburgse Sikhgemeenschap verwerpt hoofddoekenverbod

Limburgse Sikhgemeenschap verwerpt hoofddoekenverbod

Limburgse Sikhgemeenschap verwerpt hoofddoekenverbod
vandaag, 07:19

De Limburgse Sikhgemeenschap verwerpt het hoofddoekenverbod in het gemeenschapsonderwijs. "Dan moeten we maar eigen scholen oprichten. Of verhuizen", zegt Mohinder Singh, voorzitter van de Truiense Sikh-tempel. Alex Di Mare, directeur van het secundair gemeenschapsonderwijs, wil een algemeen verbod in Limburg.

>"Een verbod gaat het leven van onze mensen helemaal op z'n kop zetten", voorspelt Mohinder Singh, voorzitter van de Guru Nanak Sikh Society en de tempel in Sint-Truiden. "Wij blijven Sikh, wij blijven onze tekens dragen."

Volgens Singh zitten er een driehonderdtal Sikhs op Belgische scholen. "We zullen uitkijken naar andere scholen. Bij een algmeen verbod moeten we maar eigen scholen oprichten. Of België verlaten. In Europese landen als Nederland, Duitsland, Groot-Brittannië en Noorwegen mag het wel."

woensdag 9 september 2009

True Saint, Fearless Soldier: Bhai Taru Singh

True Saint, Fearless Soldier: Bhai Taru Singh

bhaitarusingh.jpgFor those of you who enjoyed Vismaad Productions' work with Sahibzadey, Rise of the Khalsa and Sundri, there is now a new animated movie to look forward to this fall.  Bhai Taru Singh: True Saint. Fearless Soldier, is the latest production and will be premiering around the world over the next few months.  The film's website provides a description of the film,

The story of Bhai Taru Singh is one of a true saint soldier who lived during an extremely difficult period for the Sikhs. The mughal rulers of the time were brutal towards all citizens, and especially the Sikhs. Bhai Taru Singh Ji bravely stood up to the regime which earned him the respect of all Hindus and Muslims from the surrounding villages. [link]