Members of the Sikh community say the Courier Mail article published with the headline “Hide and Sikh” is offensive which resorts to “unnecessary scaremongering”.
The newspaper reported an 18-month-old incident of a Sikh man carrying a religious knife, known as kirpan, onto the school grounds in Queensland. After a concerned parent reported the man to the school principal, the Sikh man was asked to conceal his kirpan underneath layers of clothes.
The law in Queensland doesn’t permit weapons at school campuses.
However, at the time of the incident, the school principal consulted a police officer who advised that the Sikh kirpan was legal.
However, the department’s director general said on Wednesday morning that it was a mistake to allow the man to carry a weapon on the school premises.
“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.”
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.
“It’s disgraceful,” says Jasjot Singh, President of the Brisbane Sikh Temple. “The Sikh community is contributing to Australia so much, and It shouldn’t have been humiliated like this.”
“The way it has been reported, it may create unnecessary fear among the broader Australian community about the Sikhs. But the truth is that there’s not even a single known case of misuse of the Sikh kirpan,” Mr. Singh told SBS Punjabi.
Amar Singh, the founder of a Turbans for Australia said many members of the community are now concerned about their safety.
“I’ve received numerous calls and messages from the concerned community members who are afraid and fear for their safety,” he 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.
SBS Punjabi has contacted The Courier Mail for a comment.
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.
In Victoria, it’s legal for the followers of the Sikh faith to carry religious kirpans. The religious requirement of Sikhs has been accommodated by making an exemption in the Control of Weapons Act in Victoria.
Surjit Singh, a member of the Gold Coast Sikh Council says it's important to operate within the framework of the law.
"Under the law [in Queensland] Sikhs are allowed to carry a kirpan but it has to be concealed. We regularly send out emails to people to remind them that they have to adhere to this requirement," he said.
"If there is a parent who is wearing it outside and goes to a school to pick up or drop off his children, he needs to be informed."
