An incident of a Sikh man carrying a kirpan- a ceremonial dagger Sikhs are mandated to carry along with the other articles of faith, on a school campus in the state eighteen months ago has the state’s education department in a bind.
At the time of the incident which was reported to the school principal by another parent, the principal advised the Sikh parent to keep the dagger concealed under layers of clothes. The matter was investigated by the Queensland Department of Education, reported.
The department first held that the issue was appropriately dealt with by the school principal, has now said it was wrong to allow the man to bring a kirpan onto the school grounds.
“The wrong decision was made. And let’s be really clear about that,” Dr Jim Watterston, Director General of the Education Department has told ABC Radio.
“As it states very clearly in the Queensland Weapons Act of 1990, a kirpan — which is the name of that ceremonial knife — cannot be worn into the school grounds. Based on the Weapons Act it’s constituted as a knife.”
The school principal at the time reportedly sought advice from a police officer about the legality of the kirpan and was told it was legal for Sikhs to wear the ceremonial dagger as it had religious significance for them.
Pursuant to the advice received from the police officer, the principal told the man to keep the kirpan concealed.
“I realise it’s ceremonial and I realise it’s got some religious value, but we don’t tolerate knives in schools and there’s no grey areas around this,” Dr Watterston said. "We don't allow weapons into schools. Full stop."
However, he said the principal was not to blame.
“It’s unfortunate that the principal got some advice that was well-meaning and at the time thought was correct, but it wasn’t correct.”
According to the Queensland law, carrying knives at schools is illegal. But the education department says it decides this matter on a “case-to-case basis”, reports The Courier Mail.
The case which remained unreported until Tuesday has the Sikh community in Queensland concerned.
While the Sikh community in Queensland is talking to the authorities about the issue of the kirpan, its members are upset with the way the story has been presented.
“I’ve received numerous calls and messages from the concerned community members who are afraid and fear for their safety,” Amar Singh of Turbans for Australia told SBS Punjabi.
“This article is in bad taste and is highly offensive to the Australian Sikh Community. It seems everyone has forgotten a land of fair go and respect. A multicultural nation is under threat from hate speech and bigotry.”
The Sikh kirpan is generally 8-10 centimeter long and has blunt point and edges.
Avninder Gill, vice-president of a Sikh temple in Brisbane, says it’s wrong to call the Sikh kirpan a weapon.
“It’s not a weapon in our culture but an article of faith,” he told SBS Punjabi.
“We always advise members of the community to keep the kirpan concealed under their clothes and wear only short kirpans,” Avninder Gill of the Punjabi Cultural Association of Queensland told SBS Punjabi.
“We understand spotting someone carrying a sword or a dagger may cause an alarm for the broader community, however, it’s important to understand that the Sikhs are a peace-loving and law-abiding community.
He said the kirpans worn by the Sikhs are not sharp-edged and have a blunt point.
“They are blunt because kirpans are not weapons meant to hurt anyone.”
Followers of the Sikh faith at a congregation in Melbourne's Federation Square. Source: SBS Punjabi/Shamsher Kainth
The five Sikh articles of faith
All initiated followers of the Sikh fair carry these five articles of faith
The five 'kakar' all begin with the letter 'k,' hence the name:
- kes: unshorn hair
- kanga: a wooden comb worn in the hair
- kara: a metal bangle or bracelet worn on the wrist
- kachhera: loose, long underwear, about knee-length
- kirpan: a short, blunt dagger
The practice was introduced by the tenth Sikh master Guru Gobind Singh in 1699 when he founded the 'Khalsa' which means pure. It was a special group of Sikh warriors to fight against persecution by the Mughal rulers at the time.
