Dear Judge Susan E. Green of the Superior Court of Sutter County,
I am Sikh. My faith – originating in India – is recognized as one of the world's largest religions (there are 23.8 million Sikhs and only 13.4 million Jews). We stand out because baptized Sikh men wear turbans, beards and uncut hair as a sign of their faith. If you see a man on the street with a turban and a beard anywhere in the US, he is almost certainly a Sikh.
The tragic events of September 2001, as well as the flood of publicity about Osama Bin Laden, led to enormous difficulties for the Sikhs in the US. On September 15, 2001, a Sikh man was shot in Phoenix. On Sunday, August 5, 2012, a lone gunman entered a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin and opened fire on the congregation, killing six and injuring two. These incidents were caused by mistaken identity: mistaking Sikhs for Muslims.
Sikhs are not Muslims and have nothing to do with Islam. In fact, as Sikhs, we are mandated to be tolerant and accepting of all other religions. It is a vital part of who we are.
In 1699 Guru Gobind Singh, the 10th Sikh Guru, gave us a unique form. As part of my identity as a Sikh, I am required to hold five symbols of my faith. I keep my hair and beard uncut, wear a special undergarment, wear a small wooden comb in my hair and a steel bracelet on my wrist. And I carry a small ceremonial knife, called a kirpan.
The five articles of faith declare my commitment to my faith and to the highest ideals of love and service to humanity. These symbols unite and bind myself and other Sikhs to the beliefs of our religion. It is a daily reminder that we must live a life of honesty, morality, kindness, bravery and love.
It is understandable that most people would describe the kirpan as a knife or a sword. However, for me, the kirpan is a mandatory article of faith that obligates me to the ideals of generosity, compassion and service to humanity. It serves as a constant reminder to me of my official duty to protect the weak and promote justice for all. Like most other Sikhs, I keep my kirpan – which has a blade length of 4 inches and is dull – in a tight case slung around my waist.
I was recently summoned for jury duty at the Sutter County Superior Court in Yuba City, California. I contacted the court and asked them about my kirpan. They made it very clear to me that I would not be allowed into the courthouse unless I removed it. I explained that it was a duty of faith for me to wear it and that I should be exempted on religious grounds.
Because the kirpan is a religious article of faith, the right of Sikhs to wear their kirpans freely is firmly protected in the United States. Courts and prosecutors across the country have without exception respected the right of Sikhs to practice their religion while wearing the kirpan. There have been more than thirty separate cases where Sikhs have been arrested and criminally charged by the police for carrying a kirpan. Each case resulted in a voluntary dismissal of the charges by a prosecutor or, in two cases, dismissal by a court.
Consistent with these cases, many US federal entities have granted accommodations for Sikhs to wear kirpans in federal buildings. The US Department of Justice's Community Relations Service (CRS) has gone to great lengths to educate law enforcement officials across the country about the Sikhs and the religious significance of the kirpan.
When I arrived for jury duty, I was not allowed into the Sutter County courtroom. so I did not serve. This was disappointing to me as I value my responsibilities as an American citizen as much as my rights and privileges.
While the Sikh community in the US needs to do more to educate the public about who we are and the qualities of our faith and respect for the countries in which we live, I call on local authorities everywhere to educate themselves about who they are the Sikhs are. (Just ask – we're always here to help you understand.) Sikhs in the United States deserve to be free to practice their religious beliefs just like anyone else.
Gursand Singh is a practicing Sikh and author of Confessions of an American Sikh.
Photo courtesy of Gursant Singh.
