What would you do?

[S1ngh]

Washington, D.C. -- August 18, 2004 marked the first time the White House organized an event to honor the Sikh community. The occasion was a historical moment for Sikhs in the U.S., but circumstances regarding the event unintentionally sparked a debate within the community about the Kirpaan.

The event was arranged by Rajwant Singh, a resident of the D.C. area and President of the Sikh Council on Religion and Education (SCORE). Approximately 65 Sikhs, men and women, celebrated the 400th anniversary of the formal placement of Adi Granth Sahib on Sept. 1, 1604 at Darbar Sahib, with White House officials at the Eisenhower Executive Building. All Sikhs were asked to remove their Kirpaans before entering the building.

Rajwant Singh has been in touch with the White House since 9/11. Last year he requested that the Sikh community be honored by the White House just as Christians and Muslims are every year. But schedule conflicts delayed the Sikh event till this year when the commemoration of the 400th anniversary of Adi Granth became a significant occasion for the event. Last year was also the first time that the Hindu community was recognized by the White House on the occasion of Divali.

The Kirpaan issue began when Tarunjit Singh, General Secretary of the World Sikh Council – America Region (WSC-AR) in Columbus, Ohio, a representative body of gurdwaras and Sikh organizations, called the White House Office of Public Liaison to clarify whether Kirpaans would be allowed into the building. Kuldeep Singh, Chairman of WSC-AR, was one of the invited guests.

In a phone conversation, a White House staffer, Joey Lee, informed Tarunjit Singh that it was a matter of security that all

Sikhs would be asked to remove their Kirpaans before entering the building. He attempted to explain the significance of the Kirpaan and pressed that asking Sikhs to remove their Kirpaan is not only offensive but is to deny them their legitimate right to practice their faith. Lee expressed concern and explained that Rajwant Singh, as organizer of the event, would call the invited guests and request that they wear a medallion with a small Kirpaan image in it instead of their Kirpaan.

When SikhNN asked him about the medallion, Rajwant Singh categorically denied ever making such a statement. “This is not true and no such request was made. No one was called to wear a medallion. That did not happen, will not happen, and is categorically denied.” Rajwant Singh, himself, wore a Kirpaan pendent on a chain to the event. He continued, “We would have appreciated if Kuldeep Singh had clarified this with me or our organization before making press statements. His name as an individual was given by me for his work in the community.”

Neither side contacted the other.

Tarunjit Singh reiterated his objection to the White House staffer and asked if there were any other options open to resolve the issue. Lee responded that a special request for an exemption to the rule could be made, but she was quite confident that it would not be approved given the short time frame. She was helpful in suggesting that the issue may be discussed in advance for future events to avoid the current unfortunate situation.

Kuldeep Singh decided not to attend the event because it would have “compromised the principles of the very faith that we profess.” “While we appreciate the White House arranging this event to honor the Sikh community, we cannot compromise on the principles of our faith,” added Tarunjit Singh. “The White House cannot honor our faith and at the same time deny us the practice of our faith.”

“We respect that Kuldeep Singh chose to stay away from the function and we also understand how many people emphat

ically feel about this issue. However, we also strongly believe that all issues can be amicably resolved with proper communication and dialogue,” Rajwant Singh said in an emailed statement.

Understanding that all Amritdhari guests will be wearing Kirpaans, an agreement was made to allow Kirpaans that have a 1.5 inch blade length or less. Darshan Singh, former Jathedar of Akal Takht, is said to have worn a 1.5 inch Kirpaan to the event. One guest, who did not agree to be identified, pointed out that the Rehat Maryada does not make any requirement on the size of the Kirpaan, although most Sikhs wear Kirpaans that have a 6 to 8 inch blade. It does state, however, that it has to be worn on a gaatra (a harness worn across the shoulder).

“It is surprising that the White House was not even aware of the Kirpaan issue until asked by WSC-AR, but we are gratified that there is genuine concern,” stated Tarunjit Singh in a press release. But Rajwant Singh told SikhNN in an interview that the White House was aware of the Kirpaan issue and it was discussed at length with White House officials. He said many guests chose to wear small Kirpaans.

Expressing frustration with the situation, Tarunjit Singh stated, “The event was held at the Eisenhower Executive Building and not the White House. The President and Vice-President were not expected to attend the gathering. In such a situation, if the meeting had to be held outside the White House, it could have been held elsewhere where initiated Sikhs could freely exercise their religious freedom, rather than limiting Sikhs from carrying their Kirpaans. Respect for the Sikh faith, its principles, and practice could have been accommodated if the event had been appropriately planned. As an example, it could have been held at a public place where those Sikhs not willing to compromise their faith could freely attend. A gurdwara or a local hotel would have been alternatives to explore and pursue.”

Yes, the gathering did take place at the Eisenhower building, accor

ding to Rajwant Singh. It is known as the old executive office building. It houses all the offices of the White House and it is considered as part of the White House, he added. “Any event taking place there is considered happening at the White House. I have attended some events at this building as part of the White House events. This is the same place where Hindus had their Diwali celebration and Muslims had their Eid celebration.”

In an interview with SikhNN, Tarunjit Singh discussed his opinion on the Kirpaan:

Tarunjit Singh said that as a representative of the Sikh community, Kuldeep Singh has an obligation to present himself in full Sikh form. That includes all five symbols of Sikhism. By compromising his right to wear a Kirpaan, he would be setting a dangerous precedence for the rest of the community. Tarunjit Singh also pointed out that several legal cases regarding the Kirpaan have not yet been decided. Giving up one’s Kirpaan for one occasion, in essence, sets a protocol and provides evidence to those who would not want Sikhs to wear Kirpaans on other occasions. “Compromises will make things more difficult for us. It is our right to bear arms. We should be accepted for who we are,” he added. “It was our faith that was being honored. We cannot limit the practice of our faith. We have to consider the impact to our future.”

Accommodations have been provided for the Kirpaan upon request. When a young couple, Sarabhpreet Singh and Meeta Kaur, accepted a job with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), their one condition was that they be allowed to wear their 6 plus inch Kirpaans. Both provided documents supporting their right to wear their Kirpaans, and they were given that right. They wear their Kirpaans in a government building every day.

In a statement to SikhNN, Rajwant Singh reasoned:

“Ignorance of our traditions continues to be widespread and due to this reason we have faced a very difficult situation since 9/11. Recent attacks on Sikhs in New York are just anothe

r example of what we are experiencing in this country. We all are struggling to get our faith and our articles of faith recognized at many levels of American society.

The White House had invited us to observe the 400th anniversary in a symbolic manner. We are the only minority religion after Hindus and Muslims to be invited to observe an event at the White House (Hindus had their first Diwali celebration last year). We looked upon this as an opportunity to increase awareness about the Sikhs and our traditions and to build upon this relationship. Many people may differ with our approach and feel that we have compromised. If we look at other communities enjoying full rights, they also took one step at a time and it was seen as a compromise then as well. It is a kind of situation we all face since 9/11 when we are either going to Capitol Hill to lobby the U.S. Congress for our rights or the State Department in Washington, or going to courts to fight for Sikh rights.

We have always and will continue to work for the full recognition of the Sikh faith and its traditions, Sikh identity, and our articles of faith. We are confident that as a community we will continue to lift these barriers and create a conducive environment for our future generations.”

Nevertheless, many organizations have come out in support of the WSC-AR’s decision to decline the invitation. These include the Sikh Coalition, American Gurdwara Prabhandak Committee, Sikh Youth of America, United Sikhs, United Sikh Federation (Canada), British Sikh Federation, Sikhs in England (SIE), and Simranjit Singh (India).

Even a non-Sikh organization has supported the WSC-AR decision. The National Council of Churches - USA (NCC-USA), the leading US organization in the movement for Christian unity, endorsed the decision of WSC-AR to decline the invitation to the White House event.

The letter of support, dated August 16, from the NCC-USA to the WSC-AR stated, in part: “We stand in solidarity with you in the difficulties you expe

rienced when the White House invited you to a ceremony celebrating this event and insisted that you arrive without the Kirpaan. We understand that the "bringer of mercy" symbolizes your commitment to resist oppression and injustice. We are also aware of the deep spiritual value and the essential position the Kirpaan holds in your tradition and consider the White House decision a violation of your religious freedom. We also appreciate the way you graciously excused yourselves from the event and expressed a desire to find ways through this impasse in the future… -Rev. Bob Edgar, General Secretary”

The NCC-USA's 36 Protestant, Anglican and Orthodox member denominations include almost 50 million persons in more than 140,000 local congregations in communities across the nation.

Rajwant Singh is confident that this was the first of what will become an annual event with the White House to recognize the Sikh community, just as the Christians and Muslims. He says it will be easier to continue to establish an annual event if the Bush administration is re-elected in November, but he has also been in contact with the John Kerry campaign.

Tarunjit Singh hopes that the White House will keep their word to allow for an exemption for the Kirpaan in future events. And he hopes that procedures are taken care of well in advance. He added that even if they were to meet the President at the White House, Kuldeep Singh still would not have attended without his Kirpaan.

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Sikhnn.com

[taksali1]

vwihgurU jI kw Kwlsw!

vwihgurU jI kI &iqh!!

there is no excuse in the world to take off your kirpan....unless its forced off or you have no other choice. the white house or whoever is asking you to come somewhere with your kirpan off. you tell them to 'f' off. you cant give up your sikhi to please someone else. one might say we're trying to make progress in bringing sikhi out to the nation or other <admin-profanity filter activated> like that, but bun that. that can wait. the best thing would be like the one guy said...go somewhere that they dont gotta take off their kirpan. ill stop rambling.....

vwihgurU jI kw Kwlsw!

vwihgurU jI kI &iqh!!