Sad day for the Italian Sikhs as they not allowed to practice their religion in Italy

Italian Supreme Court Rules Against Sikh Wanting To Carry Kirpan In Public

Italian Supreme Court Rules Against Sikh Wanting To Carry Kirpan In Public
The Italian Supreme Court has ruled against a Sikh who wanted to carry a kirpan in public and said that migrants in the Western world must conform to the values of the society they have chosen to settle in.

The Italian High Cassation Court yesterday ruled against the Sikh Indian migrant who wanted to carry a kirpan, a dagger considered sacred in Sikhism, even as it was against the Italian law, the Italian news agency ANSA reported.

The court said migrants who choose to live in the Western world have an obligation to conform to the values of the society they have chosen to settle in, even if its values differ from their own.

"An attachment to one's own values, even if they are lawful in the country of origin, is intolerable when it causes violating the laws of the host country," the court said.

"The multi ethnic society is a necessity, but it can't lead to the formation of conflicting cultural groups of islands according to the ethnicities they're made up of, precluding the unity of the cultural and judicial fabric of our country, which identifies public safety as an asset to defend and as such bans carrying weapons and objects aimed at injury," the court said.

The Sikh man, who has not been named, was appealing against another court's decision ordering him to pay a 2,000 euros in fine because he had been caught leaving his home in Goito, northern  Italy, armed with a knife measuring nearly 20 cm, BBC reported, citing local media.


AKALI DAL, SGPC UPSET AT ITALY SUPREME COURT RULING ON 'KIRPAN'

The Shiromani Akali Dal and Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) on Tuesday expressed anguish over the Italian Supreme Court upholding a ban on wearing of 'kirpan' and plan to raise the issue at appropriate platforms to ensure "justice" to Sikhs settled in Italy.

In a statement here on Tuesday, Akali Dal secretary and spokesman Daljit Singh Cheema said the Italian court has "ignored" the fact that carrying of 'kirpan' is essential and a mandatory part of religious code of conduct of an 'Amritdhari' (baptized) Sikh.

"It is a question of faith and a fundamental right of a Sikh. Banning of 'kirpan' means that no 'Amritdhari Sikh' will be able to live in Italy after this order," Cheema pointed out.

Cheema said the Akali Dal and SGPC would raise this issue at appropriate platforms to ensure "justice" to Sikhs settled in Italy.

"The party will also take up of the matter with the External Affairs Ministry and urge them to take up this matter with the Italian government at the earliest," Cheema said.

The Akali Dal expressed deep concern and anguish over the decision of the Italian Supreme Court upholding a ban on wearing of 'kirpan', a small sword-like weapon considered a Sikh religious symbol, on the pretext of public safety.

"The decision of the Italian Supreme Court has shaken the Sikh community the world over," Cheema added.

Italy has a large number of immigrants from India, especially Sikhs from Punjab.

The Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) on Tuesday termed as "unfortunate" the Italian Supreme Court upholding a ban on the 'kirpan' (Sikh sword) and said it will approach External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on the matter.

Reacting strongly to the Italian Supreme Court's decision to uphold the ban on kirpan, DSGMC General Secretary Manjinder Singh Sirsa in a statement said: "We will take up issue with Sushma Swaraj and urge her to take up this issue with Italian government."

Terming the court's decision as "most unfortunate", Sirsa said "DSGMC understands the situation where the courts of the concerned country are bound to take up the issues as per the law of the land prevalent in the country."

"Time has now come for the Indian government to play a bigger role to safeguard the interests of the Sikhs throughout the world by taking up with different countries the issue of articles of faith." 

He also said that laws in some countries where carrying of articles of faith are banned "needs to be amended for achieving this".

The DSGMC's remarks came after the Italian Supreme Court ruled against a Sikh migrant who wanted to carry a kirpan in public.

The Italian court had on Monday said migrants who choose to live in Italy must respect Italian laws prohibiting the carrying of weapons even though Sikhs regard kirpan as sacred.

The DSGMC General Secretary also pointed out that it was for the Indian government to apprise these countries of the importance of the articles of faith including five Ks like Kirpan, Kara, Kangha, Kachera and Kes. 

Sirsa said a high level delegation of the DSGMC will soon meet Sushma Swaraj and apprise her on the need to take up the issue with the Italian government. 

The Sikh man in the case was appealing against another court's decision ordering him to pay a 2,000 euro fine ($2,195) because he had been caught leaving his home in Goito, northern Italy, armed with a kirpan measuring nearly 20 cm, the Italian media reported.

The man had argued that his kirpan as well as his turban were symbols of his religion and wearing them was part of his religious duty.