The first major test of Ireland’s policy of immigrant integration has been the Garda refusal, with the endorsement of the new Minister of State for Integration, to allow a Sikh recruit to the reserve force to wear his turban. The topic has received a lot of airing in recent weeks and, as far as I can gather, most media commentators deplore this decision.
Sikhs are enjoined to keep five external symbols of their faith, known as the five Ks. The unshorn hair on the head of a Sikh has to be covered with a turban, and a Sikh’s faith is incomplete without the turban, without which a Sikh loses his self. Indeed a Sikh wearing a turban is in association with Hukam - the Commandment of the Almighty.
There is a long and honoured history to Sikh participation in fighting in many battles in Europe, America and elsewhere. Turbaned Sikhs formed an integral part of the French and British armies in their fight against German occupation in both world wars. More than 83,000 Sikhs died and over 109,000 were injured defending the integrity of people of all faiths in Europe, America, Africa and Asia.
Turban-wearing Sikhs serve in the Canadian and US armies and in many police forces, including those in Britain. It is, however, highly ironic that this community that fought for the freedom of France, now has to fight for the freedom to wear the turban in France, where religious symbols have been outlawed by French Republican adherence to secularism.
In today’s secularised post-Catholic Ireland, some people may find it difficult to understand the adherence of religious communities to outward symbols of their faith such as the Sikh turban, the Jewish kippa, or the Muslim hijab.
Conor Lenihan, the Minister of State for Integration, believes the onus is on the immigrant to change. “If we are to take integration seriously, people who come here must understand our way of doing things,” he said recently.
However, is making people do things “our way” the real meaning of integration? Are we to go the French way and make outward manifestations of religion or culture merely a private matter, forcing immigrants to hide what they consider vital to their faith, indeed, their lives?
The decision to ban the turban is said to be part of the government’s commitment to interculturalism and the National Action Plan against Racism. But surely, if integration is a “two way process,” as the government defines it, there should be a way of accommodating differences that do not prevent immigrants from fulfilling their commitments to Irish society.
There is no reason why a turban-wearing Sikh, a kippa-wearing Jew or a veiled Muslim woman (and I am not speaking here about a full burka) cannot be efficient and successful Garda reservists.
Indeed, having a police force that reflects Ireland’s new ethnic diversity can only enhance An Garda Siochána’s credibility.
Ultimately, Ireland’s new integrationism is not a two-way process; it simply demands incorporation. It ignores ethnic and religious differences and papers over racism, calling on immigrants to assimilate, not integrate into a truly diverse and multi-ethnic society.
