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It is sad that the Toronto Star would be so clueless about their own society. Here is the article in case it is not available online. Could people please reply intelligently to lettertoed@thestar.ca; via fax to 416-869-4322. The sooner, the better.

In the Toronto Star

Kirpan potentially dangerous weapon

Mar. 4, 2006. 01:00 AM

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Religious freedom at stake, justices say

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March 3.

I was disappointed with the Supreme Court ruling on the kirpan case. My mother is Sikh, but no one in my extended family considers it an obligation to carry the kirpan.

Orthodox Sikhs have misinterpreted the Holy Scriptures as they do not literally call for the wearing of a dagger. The kirpan is rather a symbolic item, refering to a Sikh's obligation to honour and courage, which he must carry in his heart at all times.

The kirpan is a potentially dangerous weapon that is not infrequently used in fights (usually between Sikhs) and is also used by men to threaten their wives during arguments.

The Sikh community must focus on real issues, such as rising religious fanaticism and the oppression of women, rather than on bogeys that a small group of fundamentalists create.

My grandparents left the Punjab with my mother nearly 40 years ago for a better life in Canada. They left a great deal behind, including customs that have no role in a modern progressive society.

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Barry Kumar, Montreal

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Yes it is an akhvar...

Everyone should take it upon themselves do do a little research and type an educated non-aggressive reply to these people telling them about their errors.

That e-mail address given above does not work (for me anyway). So i submitted my response through http://www.thestar.com/cgi-bin/star_static...ster/index.html

Just wait and hope for a reply now...

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It is sad that the Toronto Star would be so clueless about their own society. Here is the article in case it is not available online. Could people please reply intelligently to lettertoed@thestar.ca; via fax to 416-869-4322. The sooner, the better.

In the Toronto Star

Kirpan potentially dangerous weapon

Mar. 4, 2006. 01:00 AM

This is, unfortunately, the kind of hogwash one can expect from this paper. I worked for one of its subsidiary companies, Harlequin Direct, in Buffalo NY. When I came in with my kirpan, asking it to be kept with security until the end of my working day, I was put on administrative leave. Then I was made to "prove that I am Sikh," doing things like getting notes from officials at Gurudwara, proving that the Kakkars are requirement etc. I felt like a third-grade kid with a bad report card. Weren't they surprised when I came in with copies of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights, Rehit Maryada, and the part of the USA Patriot act that mentions the Sikhs' specific rights to our religious practices as non-threatening to the United States, and census information proving that Sikhism is the fifth largest religion in the world! Then the bosses tried to use the administrative leave as grounds to fire me for absenteeism! My reward? I walked out. I temped for a while, clerked a store over the winter holiday, and eventually found a full-time bank job that offered more hours and paid far better than the one I left.  :TH: But that's just transient stuff. I got a far bigger lesson about what it means to be a Sikh from the four months of unpleasantness than I could have gotten from living a softer life with a guaranteed income. Better to risk for what you believe in than keep your mouth shut and let others try to think for you.

Blessed be,

Polska

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Religious freedom at stake, justices say

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

March 3.

I was disappointed with the Supreme Court ruling on the kirpan case. My mother is Sikh, but no one in my extended family considers it an obligation to carry the kirpan.

Orthodox Sikhs have misinterpreted the Holy Scriptures as they do not literally call for the wearing of a dagger. The kirpan is rather a symbolic item, refering to a Sikh's obligation to honour and courage, which he must carry in his heart at all times.

The kirpan is a potentially dangerous weapon that is not infrequently used in fights (usually between Sikhs) and is also used by men to threaten their wives during arguments.

The Sikh community must focus on real issues, such as rising religious fanaticism and the oppression of women, rather than on bogeys that a small group of fundamentalists create.

My grandparents left the Punjab with my mother nearly 40 years ago for a better life in Canada. They left a great deal behind, including customs that have no role in a modern progressive society.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Barry Kumar, Montreal

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Everyone is entitled to their opinion whether wrong or right. The fact of the matter is that the Supreme Court of Canada decided unanimously in favour of Gurbaj Singh and his right to wear the kirpan at school. I would say that pretty definitively answers the questions on this.

One point Barry Kumar makes that is right is that Sikhs need to concentrate more on abuses and other issues inside our community. Now that this decision is made, we can move on and get on with that, and Barry Kumar should do so too, and not link the two issues.

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