Sikh Pupil Excluded Over Bangle

[JagtarSinghKhalsa]

New legal battle looming over schoolgirl’s bangle ban

Wednesday, 7th November 2007. 1:20pm

By: Michael Zera.

A SCHOOLGIRL in Wales has been excluded from school for refusing to take off her Sikh bangle, and a legal battle is being predicted.

Sarika Singh, 14, said: “It’s very important to me, it constantly reminds me to do good and not to do bad, especially with my hands.” She was excluded for a day and on Tuesday was told that she has now been excluded for a fixed period. Sinita Singh, Sarika’s mother, said she has the support of several local politicians and was taking legal advice.

Mrs Singh defended her daughter: “We feel very strongly that Sarika has a right to manifest her religion — she’s not asking for anything big and flashy, she’s not making a big fuss, she just wants a reminder of her religion. It’s not jewellery, it’s part of our faith and symbol of our belief.”

Head teacher Jane Rosser argued: “We have a strict and clear code of conduct that has been in place for many years. A copy of the code of conduct is given to all girls before they are even a pupil at the school and is also issued at the start of every new term in September. We use this established code of conduct to ensure equality between all pupils.”

Jagtar Singh, secretary of Sikh Federation UK, claimed the school was breaching the 1976 Race Relations Act in its treatment of Sarika.

“The Department for Education and Schools in England has said that if a headteacher or governing body were to deny a Sikh child one of their articles of faith such as the bangle then they would be breaking the law,” he said.

The dispute is the latest in an ongoing dispute about the right to wear religious items in a public place. In February a Muslim girl lost a court appeal for the right to wear a niqab in class. And last year the law lords ruled that a school in Luton, Beds, was justified in barring Shabina Begum from wearing a jilbab to classes.

However, Sikh leaders are arguing that their religion is protected under the 1976 Act and therefore have the law on their side.

http://www.religiousintelligence.co.uk/news/?NewsID=1122

[JagtarSinghKhalsa]

Sikh girl suspended in jewellery row

07 November 2007

A pupil has been excluded from a school in south Wales for refusing to remove a symbolic Sikh bangle.

Teachers sent 14-year-old Sarika Singh home from Aberdale Girls School on Monday after she refused to take off the silver Kara bracelet.

Yesterday, her mother Sanita Singh said that the family would seek legal advice against the ruling, suggesting that the decision compromised Sarika's human rights.

Mrs Singh has also claimed that the family has sought the guidance of the UK branch of the Sikh Federation.

'It is not jewellery. It is part of our faith and symbol of our belief,' she said. 'She is not asking for anything big and flashy, she is not making a big fuss, she just wants a reminder of her religion.'

The uniform policy at Aberdale Girls School states that pupils are allowed to wear a wrist watch and a pair of metal stud earrings.

http://www.atl.org.uk/atl_en/news/educatio...=&category=

Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) Union web site

[JagtarSinghKhalsa]

Sikh girl, 14, suspended for wearing religious bangle

The Times

November 8, 2007

Simon de Bruxelles

A Sikh teenager has been suspended from school for refusing to remove a religious bangle.

The parents of Sarika Singh, 14, are now considering a legal challenge against the school, a girls’ comprehensive school in Aberdare, South Wales, that taught the girl “in isolation” for nine weeks before excluding her.

Jane Rosser, the headmistress of Aberdare Girls’ School, said that the code of conduct permitted only two items of jewellery, a watch and a pair of plain metal stud earrings. The school bans all visible religious symbols, including Christian crosses and Muslim headscarves.

Miss Singh has won the backing of the Valleys Race Equality Council and her parents are now considering a challenge in the High Court.

The metal bangle, called a kara, is one of five items all Sikhs are expected to wear. It is supposed to be a visual reminder to do only good work with the hands. Miss Singh, who has been suspended for five days, began wearing it two years ago after a family visit to India, but the school took action only in September.

Her mother, Sanita Singh, said: “Sarika told us, ‘I don’t go to school any more, I go to prison’.”

Ian Blake, chairman of the school’s governing body, said: “We made our decision only after prolonged research into the previous stated cases across the UK, interrogation of the law, including human rights and race relations legislation.” The governors have rejected an appeal.

[JagtarSinghKhalsa]

Sikh girl challenges school bangle ban

Published: Nov. 7, 2007 at 8:38 PM

CARDIFF, Wales, Nov. 7 United Press International (UPI) -- A Cwmbach, Wales, teenager is mounting a legal challenge after her school barred her from wearing a wrist bangle associated with the Sikh religion.

Officials at the Aberdare Girls’ School sent Sarika Watkins-Singh, 14, home from school Monday after she refused to take off her silver Kara bangle, one of the five symbols of Sikh identity, the Western Mail reported Wednesday.

School administrators claim the Kara violates regulations because it is a piece of jewelry. However, Sarika said banning the item is a violation of her human rights.

"I have been told I will be excluded (from school) for a fixed period. We are waiting for a letter saying how long that will be," she said. "It is very unfair that I am not being allowed to follow my religion, and I want to challenge the decision."

The Valleys Race Equality Council, led by former Welsh Secretary Ron Davies, is supporting Sarika's challenge.

"We are supporting Sarika, and believe the school is acting unlawfully by refusing to let her wear the bangle," Davis said.

"We have arranged for her to be represented by a solicitor and an application will be made to the High Court for a judicial review of the school’s decision. We believe the school is acting in contravention both of the 1976 Race Relations Act and of human rights legislation," he said.

[JagtarSinghKhalsa]

Welsh race body backs Sikh teenager's 'kada' case

Posted : Thu, 08 Nov 2007 03:59:00 GMT

Author : Prasun Sonwalkar

UK World News | Home

London, Nov 8 - Sarika Watkins-Singh, the Sikh teenager who has been excluded from her school in south Wales for refusing to remove the 'kada', a symbol of Sikhism, has been backed by the local race equality council.

Sarika, who decided to become a practising Sikh after a visit to Amritsar in 2005, has decided to mount a legal challenge against the school's decision that, she believes, amounted to infringing her human rights.

Sarika was sent home Monday by the Aberdare Girls School, south Wales. According to the school, wearing the kada is against regulations because it is a piece of jewellery. The school is known for strictly enforcing rules.

After the case hit the headlines, Sarika has found support from the Valleys Race Equality Council. Its director, Ron Davies, told the media: 'We are supporting Sarika, and believe the school is acting unlawfully by refusing to let her wear the bangle.

'We have arranged for her to be represented by a solicitor and an application will be made to the High Court for a judicial review of the school's decision. We believe the school is acting in contravention both of the 1976 Race Relations Act and of human rights legislation.

'We also believe there is a need for the guidance on these issues to schools from the Welsh Assembly Government to be more explicit.'

According to advice given to the council by the the Equality and Human Rights Commission, 'Legal precedence has previously been set which clearly recognises Sikhs as a racial group for the purpose of the Race Relations Act. Therefore, the school should consider carefully their actions in relation to this case.

'The wearing of a kada bangle is a significant expression of faith. Although some issues can be taken into consideration such as health and safety, the school would be expected to be proportionate in its response to the requirement to wear a kada bangle.

'For example, the school could require the bangle to be covered or removed during PE. However, it would find it more difficult to justify this requirement where the student is sitting at her desk in the classroom.'

In a legal precedent dating to 1983, the House of Lords had decided that a school had acted unlawfully by refusing to accept as a pupil a Sikh boy who wore a turban. The judgment held that Sikhs were a racial group within the terms of the Race Relations Act, and were capable of being discriminated against.

Sarika's mother, Sanita Watkins-Singh, told the Western Mail: 'Sarika made her first visit to India in 2005, looking at her cultural background and her roots. I don't believe in putting pressure on children to follow a certain religion, but Sarika decided for herself that she wanted to be a practising Sikh.

'Her views have crystallised over the last six months, and she started wearing the kada. At first it didn't seem to be a problem, but then a PE teacher asked her to remove it. Later, after she refused to remove it in class, she was isolated from the rest of the girls. Then this week she was sent home.'

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/138428.html

[rKr]

Ditto. I have tried to post a response on the Daily Mail site three times in the past 24 hours, just checked the comments board and none of the comments have been approved.

[B4ND4]

Responses not being approved?? Seems like UK media is biased too.

[Prem]

JagtarSinghKhalsa

How should we answer when someone points out that wearing a kara is only mandatory for a amritdhari Sikh?

[OhTwadi]

i thought it was MANDATORY ONLY for amritdhari sikhs ! :lol:

[Prem]

That's what I believe too. The kakkars are mandatory for an amritdhari Sikh. In practise, it is custom for many (probably the majority) of non amritdhari Sikhs to wear a kara, but it's not mandatory. How should we answer this point?