Sikhs in spin over turban bans

[LilMissT]

I'd be interested to get feedback from LP members about this cultural issue going on in my home town at the moment...... my personal opinion is if they come to our country they should respect our laws and culture. Some of you may think differently



The Sikh community is outraged at what it says is a lack of cultural awareness after two incidents involving the wearing of turbans.

A Sikh family is fighting a landmark case after Ormiston College in Brisbane told them their 12-year-old son could only be enrolled if he complied with its uniform rules by cutting his hair and not wearing a turban.



The family, who cannot be named, has lodged a claim with the Anti-Discrimination Commission Queensland.

Uncut hair and turbans are both strict requirements of the Sikh religion.

On Tuesday, it was reported that 13 Sikhs wearing turbans and a Muslim woman in a face veil were told by security staff at Brisbane Airport at the weekend to remove their headgear.

An airport spokesman denied any group or religion was being targeted and said the screening was common to all Australian airports under federal law, if security staff deemed it necessary.

But the president of the Brisbane Sikh Temple and a member of Sikh Council of Australia, Paramjit Singh Serai, said Sikh males' turbans should not have to be removed anywhere.

He said he would discuss both matters with the council and hoped they would be taken up with federal Immigration Minister Chris Evans.

"We'll be asking the minister to look into that and basically to come back to us," Mr Serai told AAP.

"Airport authorities are under the federal government so probably it will be appropriate at federal level and this is what we will consider.

"The turbans should not be removed for security, and at the same time, turbans are allowed at almost any other school, so why is this school (Ormiston) different to any other school?

"We need to create a bit more harmony and educate the people.

"They (the federal government) need to resolve this."

He said the school student was owed an apology.

"Emotionally, he would be absolutely wrecked," he said.

Ormiston College headmaster Brett Webster said on Monday the school had offered a place to the boy, but his family had not chosen to go ahead with the enrolment after being informed of the strict uniform policy.

[HurtinGuy]

I do believe people should be able to pursue their religious beliefs how they see fit within the limits of the law. If someone wants to travel through an airport they should be subjected to the same searches the rest of us are (I admit it, I bitch when they make me take my sweatshirt off going through the line). You don't want to take your headscarf off then fine. Don't take an airplane.

As for the main point of your story: I'm not familiar with the terminology of your schools system (college here is reserved for adults). Is it a private school or is it, what we call here, a public school? Private schools in the States can get away with having strict regulations regarding appearance and dress because they don't receive state funding. Some public schools have uniform codes but I don't know of any that restrict length of hair or other religious expression.

Finally: this is one reason I hate religion. So many people believe in so many different things and no one is right. And why the hell is a 12 year old child put in the middle of all of this holy nonsense to begin with?! I agree, on a base level, that if you want to practice your religion unimpeded then you need to live in a place that allows you to do so. The problem with the "free world" is that we've preached for so many years how tolerant we are. There will always be tests to system. Are we moving to a more closed society?

[calgaryjimbo]

^^^ Good stuff, HG!

We've been around this issue a couple times in Canada. The most celebrated time was when a Sikh challenged the RCMP uniform requirement for the traditional hat:

After much hotly contested debate and a lot of anger aimed at the Sikh community for having the audacity to be true to their religion, in 1990 the federal government decided to allow Baltej Singh Dhillon to wear his turban as a Mountie (he has been with the force ever since).

I personally don't see how allowing certain persons to wear items of significance to their religion challenges a nation's sovereignty, laws, or culture any more than getting eyebrow, lip, and cheek piercings challenges a nation's sovereignty, laws, or culture. I think that if we spent less time obsessing over what a person chooses to put on their head and more time looking for cures for cancer, diabetes, and Parkinson's Disease, we'd all be a lot better off.

[featherlou]

The kid being forced to cut his hair and take off his turban at school - not cool at all. Sikhs being required to show that they don't have boxcutters hidden in their turbans when boarding airplanes - I'm good with that.

As for Mounties wearing turbans and kirpans (ceremonial daggers), I'm okay with that, too. Part of the Mountie uniform is a hat - I can live with a turban for a hat and a ceremonial dagger on a police officer. Kirpans in other professions - I'd have to take that on a case by case basis.

[Night Nurse]

The school wasn't demanding that the child or parents to go against the norms/moral codes of their religion, it was saying if you accepted a place for your son then you would have to accept our norms/codes. Point is they had a choice.

The airport... this is a legal matter set up for the safety of all... my suggestion would be to prevent Sikhs from breaking their codes that they raise funds to have an x-ray room and staff in the airport in order to satisfy legal checks and follow their codes (am I unrealistic? If yes then so are the Sikhs to think that the law should be bent to prevent them from breaking their codes).

[ColdCase]

Yes....but can you trust a guy in a turban AND blue shoes?

[ColdCase]

Turbins and/or yarmulkes are for amateurs...I say embrace the Burka!!

http://www.jibjab.com/view/210724

[featherlou]

The school wasn't demanding that the child or parents to go against the norms/moral codes of their religion, it was saying if you accepted a place for your son then you would have to accept our norms/codes. Point is they had a choice.<snip>

True enough, but my argument would be that a dress code for a school can be flexible enough to allow some religious displays; I don't see any particular reason why all students have to have short hair and no turbans beyond "that's the way we do things here."

I do see both sides of the argument here; a private institution does have the right to set rules and regulations as they see fit, to some degree. I also think even private institutions need to be somewhat careful about their exclusionary policies, though; some policies seem invented purely to keep the "wrong" kind of people out (I believe the relevant term here is "discriminatory").

[LilMissT]

As for the main point of your story: I'm not familiar with the terminology of your schools system (college here is reserved for adults). Is it a private school or is it, what we call here, a public school? Private schools in the States can get away with having strict regulations regarding appearance and dress because they don't receive state funding. Some public schools have uniform codes but I don't know of any that restrict length of hair or other religious expression.

Its a private school with a pretty strict dress code

[HurtinGuy]

As for the main point of your story: I'm not familiar with the terminology of your schools system (college here is reserved for adults). Is it a private school or is it, what we call here, a public school? Private schools in the States can get away with having strict regulations regarding appearance and dress because they don't receive state funding. Some public schools have uniform codes but I don't know of any that restrict length of hair or other religious expression.

Its a private school with a pretty strict dress code

SInce it's a private school they have the right to pick and choose who gets in, right? They certainly have the right to establish a dress code, as far as I'm concerned.