Courthouse denies entry to Sikh man wearing kirpan

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The Pope in cultural religious ceremonial dress

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Opinion

Barry Artiste, Now Public Contributor

I put it this way, if you sleep with it, make love with it, shower with it, take a hot dump with it, fine,maybe we can allow it, but again reasonable accomodation for some cultures has gone too far in allowing some cultures, for religious reasons to carry knife like weapons no matter how small has no place in a court room, plane, bus or public unless your'e an electrician splicing wire on the job.  Period!

My Final Thought

The Kirpan, though religious is for ceremonial purposes for the most part, much like our Pope, do you seriously think our Pope would insist on wearing his full religious regalia if requested to attend a courthouse proceeding? Of course not,  there is a time and place for everything and Mr. Twit for Brains and his dagger should be parted when it is deemed appropriate under Canada's laws.Playing the Race of Cultural Race card for media attention has no place in Canadian Society. Judges need to get some Guts and tell people who use this cultural religious race card where to go!

q url="http://news.sympatico.msn.ctv.ca/TopStories/ContentPosting.aspx?feedname=CTV-TOPSTORIES_V2&showbyline=True&newsitemid=CTVNews%2f20080116%2fKIRPAN_calgary_080116"]

A 25-year-old Sikh man says his rights were violated when he was turned away this week from a Calgary courthouse because he was carrying a ceremonial dagger, known as a kirpan.

Tejinder Singh Sidhu was supposed to testify Monday as a witness in a case involving a fatal car accident but he was told that he couldn't enter the building unless he left his three-inch kirpan with security.

Sidhu carries the kirpan at all times as a symbol of his religious beliefs.

He told CTV Calgary that security was unwilling to compromise, even after he suggested they escort him to the courtroom while he testified.

"That was something that they weren't willing to do so then I just left," said Sidhu.

Sidhu said the courthouse rules restricted him from performing his civic duty.

"I've been born and raised in Calgary but this is really the first issue that's come up," he said. "The reason why the public needs to know is so that this doesn't happen to another individual."

The wearing of a kirpan in public places has been an issue for more than a decade in Canada.

Greyhound does not allow travellers to wear them and airlines have also banned them.

In 2006, Canada's top court ruled that a Montreal school went too far when it banned a Sikh boy from wearing his ceremonial dagger to school.

In a unanimous 8-0 judgment, the Supreme Court of Canada overturned a Quebec Court of Appeal decision that had barred the teen from wearing a kirpan.

Civil liberties lawyer Stephen Jenuth told CTV Calgary that the province needs to reconsider its policy.

"This wouldn't allow people to take swords into the courthouse, but rather a small ceremonial dagger, which really have no purpose other than religious significance," Jenuth told CTV Calgary.

A spokesman with the Alberta solicitor-general's office said the incident was the first of its kind involving the province's courthouses.

Meanwhile, Sidhu described the incident as an embarrassing one.

"It's sad that Canada -- being the greatest country in the world -- that we're still dealing with this in 2008," he said.

With a report from CTV Calgary's Kevin Rich[/q]