Michigan Sikh students allowed to carry religious daggers in school
A Detroit-area district says it's allowing Sikh students to wear a small, religious dagger to school, MyFoxDetroit.com reports.
The decision by the Plymouth-Canton Community Schools reverses a ban put in place in December after a fourth-grader at a Canton Township elementary school was found with a dull, 3- to 5-inch kirpan.
The kirpan represents a commitment to fight evil in the Sikh tradition. The dagger is a religious symbol that baptized Sikh males are expected to carry.
The principal initially let the boy keep the kirpan, but the school board instituted a ban because of parental concerns and conflicts with the district's rules against bringing weapons to school.
The Detroit Free Press and WXYZ-TV report that under the new guidelines, kirpans meeting certain criteria will be allowed for Sikh students.
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The Sikh religion calls for a Sikh man to not cut his hair, wear a turban, carry a small wooden comb in his turban, a steel bracelet symbolizing eternity, and to carry a kirpan (or in Punjab, a sword) to defend himself and his religion against evil.
Now I know that for religious reasons this ruling was handed down. So Vikram and Ravi will get a pass but Billy the Boy Scout will get tossed out for a pen knife?
Perhaps the school board can require that the kirpans be 'welded' or otherwise be unable to be drawn from it's scabbard to prevent any potential injuries?
For the record, I had Sikh neighbors when I was a kid. I don't remember the boys carrying kirpans but they did have the turbans, combs, and bracelets.
