OTTAWA — The World Sikh Organization of Canada reached out to the Bloc Quebecois Thursday in an attempt to calm a brewing storm about the kirpan, a ceremonial dagger carried by religious Sikhs.
"We feel that there has been lot of rhetoric thrown around and that the only way to overcome any issues that the kirpan might pose to someone is to have a dialogue," said Balpreet Singh, legal counsel for the non-profit umbrella organization that acts as a representative body for Sikhs across Canada. "We're open to . . . hearing people's thoughts or any concerns that they might have about safety and we want to let people know about the meaning and significance of the kirpan and what reasonable accommodations have been found elsewhere."
The Bloc suggested this week that federal Parliament buildings should consider a ban on the kirpan, following an incident at Quebec's national assembly in which Singh and three other Sikhs were denied entry by security officials for carrying the object.
But Singh said he was surprised by the Bloc's position, raised by the party's whip, Claude DeBellefeuille, especially since it had endorsed a 2006 resolution in the House of Commons that recognized the importance of the five religious articles of faith for Sikhs, including the kirpan.
"We've met with Bloc MPs in the past," he said. "We thought that they had a good knowledge about Sikh articles of faith and about the Sikh community in general and if they had a concern, we think it would have been best if they came to us and had a healthy discussion. It seems like this discussion has been turned into a little bit of a political game."
Bloc spokeswoman Isabelle Monette said the party has never changed its position on the kirpan.
"The BQ has the most profound respect with regard to the Sikh community and for what the kirpan represents for them from a religious and symbolic standpoint," she said in an email. "However, we believe there should be security rules surrounding kirpans being worn in Parliament just as there is at the national assembly."
Singh noted Sikhs had previously approached the RCMP and security officials prior to last year's Winter Games in Vancouver, agreeing on a policy that restricted the length of kirpans for Sikhs who participated or attended the Games, and required them to keep the object under their clothes and secured in a belt so that it was not easily accessible.
"We're not rigid in the sense that it's our way or the highway," he said. "We recognize that safety is important."
Liberal MP Navdeep Bains, who has worn a kirpan in the House of Commons for more than six years since he was first elected in 2004, has also criticized the Bloc for raising the issue, suggesting that a proposed ban would be "un-Canadian." Bains had noted that he had even worn his kirpan in the U.S. during a visit to the Congress.
NDP leader Jack Layton and Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff both expressed their support Thursday for continuing to allow the kirpan in Parliament.
"The kirpan is not a weapon, it's a religious symbol and it should be respected," Ignatieff said in Montreal.
Liberal MP Ujjal Dosanjh, a former B.C. premier, said that banning the object would cause Canada to regress rather than progress. He noted that the issue has been dealt with by many other countries, including the United Kingdom.
"If there's any example that we should follow, it should be the United Kingdom because they have the experience of working with India and the Sikhs for over 300 years," said Dosanjh. "For me, this is an issue about inclusion and if someone came to the House of Commons . . . and said 'I wanted to carry a full-length sword as part of my observance,' I'd be the first to say that's wrong."
A spokesman from the British House of Commons was not immediately able to say whether it had any official policy on the kirpan, but Singh said there have been Sikh MPs who have worn one in the past.
Dosanjh said he was not personally a traditional Sikh, but he noted that his father and maternal grandfather were religious and managed to live their lives in a peaceful way.
"My grandfather lived here for seven years in British Columbia and carried a kirpan on his body, unconcealed, and was never stopped by the police because here in British Columbia there's a long history of dealing with these issues," said Dosanjh.
Tim Uppal, a Conservative MP from Alberta who is also Sikh, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Read more: http://www.canada.com/life/Sikhs+re...ament+kirpan/4140945/story.html#ixzz1Bd7RGBQ2
"We feel that there has been lot of rhetoric thrown around and that the only way to overcome any issues that the kirpan might pose to someone is to have a dialogue," said Balpreet Singh, legal counsel for the non-profit umbrella organization that acts as a representative body for Sikhs across Canada. "We're open to . . . hearing people's thoughts or any concerns that they might have about safety and we want to let people know about the meaning and significance of the kirpan and what reasonable accommodations have been found elsewhere."
The Bloc suggested this week that federal Parliament buildings should consider a ban on the kirpan, following an incident at Quebec's national assembly in which Singh and three other Sikhs were denied entry by security officials for carrying the object.
But Singh said he was surprised by the Bloc's position, raised by the party's whip, Claude DeBellefeuille, especially since it had endorsed a 2006 resolution in the House of Commons that recognized the importance of the five religious articles of faith for Sikhs, including the kirpan.
"We've met with Bloc MPs in the past," he said. "We thought that they had a good knowledge about Sikh articles of faith and about the Sikh community in general and if they had a concern, we think it would have been best if they came to us and had a healthy discussion. It seems like this discussion has been turned into a little bit of a political game."
Bloc spokeswoman Isabelle Monette said the party has never changed its position on the kirpan.
"The BQ has the most profound respect with regard to the Sikh community and for what the kirpan represents for them from a religious and symbolic standpoint," she said in an email. "However, we believe there should be security rules surrounding kirpans being worn in Parliament just as there is at the national assembly."
Singh noted Sikhs had previously approached the RCMP and security officials prior to last year's Winter Games in Vancouver, agreeing on a policy that restricted the length of kirpans for Sikhs who participated or attended the Games, and required them to keep the object under their clothes and secured in a belt so that it was not easily accessible.
"We're not rigid in the sense that it's our way or the highway," he said. "We recognize that safety is important."
Liberal MP Navdeep Bains, who has worn a kirpan in the House of Commons for more than six years since he was first elected in 2004, has also criticized the Bloc for raising the issue, suggesting that a proposed ban would be "un-Canadian." Bains had noted that he had even worn his kirpan in the U.S. during a visit to the Congress.
NDP leader Jack Layton and Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff both expressed their support Thursday for continuing to allow the kirpan in Parliament.
"The kirpan is not a weapon, it's a religious symbol and it should be respected," Ignatieff said in Montreal.
Liberal MP Ujjal Dosanjh, a former B.C. premier, said that banning the object would cause Canada to regress rather than progress. He noted that the issue has been dealt with by many other countries, including the United Kingdom.
"If there's any example that we should follow, it should be the United Kingdom because they have the experience of working with India and the Sikhs for over 300 years," said Dosanjh. "For me, this is an issue about inclusion and if someone came to the House of Commons . . . and said 'I wanted to carry a full-length sword as part of my observance,' I'd be the first to say that's wrong."
A spokesman from the British House of Commons was not immediately able to say whether it had any official policy on the kirpan, but Singh said there have been Sikh MPs who have worn one in the past.
Dosanjh said he was not personally a traditional Sikh, but he noted that his father and maternal grandfather were religious and managed to live their lives in a peaceful way.
"My grandfather lived here for seven years in British Columbia and carried a kirpan on his body, unconcealed, and was never stopped by the police because here in British Columbia there's a long history of dealing with these issues," said Dosanjh.
Tim Uppal, a Conservative MP from Alberta who is also Sikh, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Read more: http://www.canada.com/life/Sikhs+re...ament+kirpan/4140945/story.html#ixzz1Bd7RGBQ2
