Sikh garda must wear his turban

I WISH to clarify the issue in relation to the refusal to allow a Sikh member of the Garda Reserve to wear a turban.

The wearing of a turban is compulsory for Sikhs who are strictly bound by their religion to do so. It is not a matter of choice.

The turban, according to the Sikh faith, symbolises dignity and self-respect (also the characteristics one would associate with the gardaí) and is a mark of visual identity.

It is in recognition of this basic fact that the turban has been accepted as part of the uniform by many police forces in the western world such as the Metropolitan Police in London, the LAPD and NYPD in the USA, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, etc.

The Indian armed forces and the Indian, Malaysian and Australian Police Forces, and others, allow their Sikh members to wear a turban on duty. It is an exception allowed to the Sikhs as part of their religion. The present chief of the Indian army is a Sikh.

Police forces all over the world have allowed Sikhs to wear their turbans. Are we saying these police forces are lesser as a result?

Indeed, I think the opposite is the case; the cross-cultural face of any police force can only serve to strengthen it as it gives the force a deeper and broader insight into the society in which it operates. Asking a Sikh to do away with his turban is tantamount to asking him to forgo his religion. Although a practising Sikh must wear a turban, the colour, fabric, design and the like can be appropriate to the tasks being performed.

The turban can sport insignia, piping and other such markings to indicate that the wearer is a member of the police force. There is no doubt that Sikhs would be very proud to wear a turban with the distinctive An Garda Siochána markings.

The main cause of the present controversy stems from a lack of understanding by the An Garda Siochána of the basic tenets of the Sikh religion. Having inducted and trained a practising Sikh member, admittance was then unceremoniously declined. The worthy intention behind the induction by An Garda Siochána was cultural integration. What has happened in fact is religious discrimination.

Surely what is important is the individual’s integrity. If An Garda Siochána is serious about cultural integration, it needs to recognise the absolute need for a Sikh to wear his turban.

While I belong to the Hindu faith, nonetheless I request the Garda Commissioner to change his decision and admit the Sikh to the force by allowing him to wear his turban as part of his uniform.

Vijay Kohli

Vice-President

Indian Punjabi Society of Ireland

Rossberry Ave

Lucan

Co Dublin