Public “Safety” vs Religion

just before lunchtime on Friday, the 20th of January 2006 by Chad

Big hoohah over at Stop The ACLU

US university reviews rules over Sikh student’s rights

By Jyotirmoy Datta, New York: A Detroit university is reviewing its public safety norms after a judge ruled in favour of a Sikh student arrested for carrying the kirpan, a short dagger, as enjoined by his religion.

Sikh student Sukhpreet Singh Garcha, 23, was arrested on the campus of Wayne State University on Aug 14 last year for carrying a 10-inch kirpan on his hip. He was charged with violating Detroit’s knife ordinance, which prohibits carrying knives with blades longer than three inches.

Detroit 36th District Court Judge Rudy Serra ruled last month that the knife ordinance was intended to apply to people carrying a knife as a weapon or for some unlawful purpose.

As Garcha was carrying the kirpan for religious reasons, the ordinance did not apply, the judge said, The Detroit News reported.

There is no question that forbidding him from wearing the kirpan imposes a burden, the judge said. It would be similar to an ordinance that made it illegal to wear a cross or a Star of David.

Following the ruling, Wayne State Public Safety Director Anthony Holt was quoted as saying that campus officers will not arrest Garcha or other Sikh students who carry a kirpan.

Garcha said carrying the knife was necessary under Sikhism. The smaller knife was worn in case the other had to be removed.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the religious group United Sikhs protested Garcha’s arrest, saying the kirpan isn’t a weapon but an ornamental article of faith that baptized Sikhs must wear at all times.

The university’s attorneys are reviewing possible changes to campus weapons policies to ensure that everyone can practise religion freely and feel safe on the campus, Alexandra Matish, assistant general counsel for the college, was quoted as saying.

What seems so out of character is that person posting the article and most of the commenters are freaking out because someone is carrying a mean scary weapon.

A few of the more non-critical thinking types say they want to start their own religion about carrying AK-47s. I say go for it, and in a few hundred years, once you are recognized as a mainstream religion, you may get the “rights” you think others shouldn’t have.

A few Sikh adherants try in vain to explain the precepts of their belief system, only to be argued with and ignored.

For all those against the kirpan- grow up, you’re being little bastards. It’s an article of their faith. And if someone is carrying a weapon, so what? That should not be a crime. Using it not in self defense is a crime. If a Sikh goes out and starts getting all stabby at people, then you prosecute them for that.

So I searched google news, since of course there should be thousands of articles out there of deaths all over attributed it to kirpans. What I found was this.

I guess even the ACLU can be right twice a day like a broken clock.