When Metro Éireann exclusively broke the story of a Sikh Garda reservist banned from wearing his turban, the incident became an international talking point. The man at the centre of the debacle, Irish citizen Ravinder Singh, has steadfastly refused to give media interviews, but now a close ally - Dr Jasbir Singh Puri - explains why Singh’s case will be fought all the way. CATHERINE REILLY reports
DR JASBIR SINGH Puri has worked in operating theatres all over Ireland for more than 20 years, and not once has he removed his turban.
“I change into surgical attire and put on a cover over it, like a paper cap,” he explains.
For all these years, it’s remained very much a non-issue. But this could be about to change.
Puri, a confidante of Ravinder Singh – a former Garda reservist banned from wearing his turban – believes that if the force is not successfully challenged, “a cascade of events” could follow whereby schools, workplaces and sports clubs issue bans on religious headwear.
“That is the big concern,” confirms Puri.
Ravinder Singh is an IT professional who volunteered for the Garda Reserve because he wanted to assist his community and contribute to Irish life. But when he began his station training in the summer of 2007, he was told that the turban must go. And even now, according to Puri, the young Sikh feels like he’s been kicked in the teeth.
“He feels betrayed,” says Puri. “He wanted to give something back to the community. He has been denied his freedom to practise his religion, and that is a conflict of his constitutional rights. We all feel that we have a fundamental right to equal employment, and in this way, the gardaí have acted at the forefront to deny this right.”
In response, the force has been reiterating what appears to be a common-sense argument: that the ranks of An Garda Síochána are open to all creeds, colours and sexes, and that uniform adjustments would set off a chain of deviations that could disunite the organisation.
But Sikhs argue that wearing the turban is a non-negotiable aspect of their faith – and one which has been successfully accommodated by police forces around the world. Indeed, many law enforcement organisations have specially-adapted turbans which incorporate their insignia.
“Other countries have allowed Sikhs to wear turbans while serving in the police – an example is the UK,” says Puri, who also cites Canada. “Even in an Islamic country like Pakistan, I have myself seen a Sikh policeman on the road guiding traffic, wearing his turban.”
To Puri, the gardaí’s inference that all officers can and should look the same is a disingenuous one, particularly in today’s Ireland.
“What about the colour of their skin, what about their features? You can still recognise that this man is coming from the African continent, the Far East, from Russia or the Mongolian race. The human race is one, but how can they simply say that we all should look alike?”
Another related issue is that of the kirpan – a small, ceremonial sword or dagger that must be worn by all baptised Sikhs under their clothes. Puri suggests that Sikhs can allow for more compromise on this, unlike with the turban.
Firstly, not all Sikhs are baptised, as this status requires adherents to be able to speak, read and recite from the Sikh scriptures; and secondly, Sikhs who do carry kirpans forgo them when travelling by air, for example.
“We travel abroad and we don’t take the kirpan with us, we put it in the luggage. There is an exemption but not for the turban.”
Incidents related to the wearing of a beard, which is mandatory for male Sikhs, are also cropping up: many Irish restaurants won’t employ bearded Sikhs, despite the fact that the hairnets more commonly utilised by female employees would resolve hygiene issues.
At one secondary school, which Puri refuses to name, a Junior Cert Sikh boy was ordered to cut his beard, the school failing to note its religious significance. The situation was explained, and the school backed down.
The case of Ravinder Singh has been lodged with the Equality Tribunal, and no date has been set. Its outcome, needless to say, will be of enormous significance, not least for the new generation of Irish-born Sikhs who, within the next 10 to 15 years, will be deciding on their career paths.
