The calls for ban on the ‘Kirpan’ have arisen after a stabbing incident in a high school in Western Sydney where a 16-year-old boy was stabbed by a 14-year-old boy, reportedly by a Kirpan.
NRI Affairs Correspondent
“Sikh kirpan at Birmingham Mela 2012” by David Davies is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
The Attorney General and the Education Minister of Australia have called in for an urgent meeting to introduce a law to ban all religious ceremonial knives to protect teachers and students, Radio 2GB has reported.
NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian said she was quite “taken back” to learn that students can carry knives into schools on religious grounds.
“Students should not be allowed to take knives into school under any circumstances and I think it doesn’t pass the common sense test. Even if they’re not using weapons, others might take them from them so I was very taken back when I learnt that. I will be speaking to the Education Minister about it. My strong view is that no student should be allowed to take a weapon to school, full stop,” said Ms Berejiklian.
The calls for ban on the ‘Kirpan’ have arisen after a stabbing incident in a high school in Western Sydney where a 16-year-old boy was stabbed by a 14-year-old boy, reportedly by a Kirpan.
The incident has sparked a debate whether students should be allowed to keep a religious knife with them in school.
The principal of Glenwood High School, Sonja Anderson, said in a letter to the Glenwood High School Community, “The NSW Summary Offence Act outlines the law in relation to the possession of knives in a school or public place. In addition to having a knife for food preparation, such as Hospitality students, the possession of a knife for genuine religious reasons is specified as a reasonable excuse under the Act.”
“We are currently working with the Department and community representatives to discuss how best to enable students to meet aspects of their religious faith and, at the same time, ensure our school remains a safe place for students and staff. We will continue to keep the community informed of progress made through these discussions,” reads the letter.
Petition against Sikh Bullying
Sources close to the accused boy’s family told NRI Affairs that extreme bullying led to the ‘unfortunate’ incident. Meanwhile, a petition has been raise to raise awareness about bullying in schools.
“For the past few years, the Western Sydney Sikh community has faced many hardships due to bullying and racial attacks. Because of this, kids are feeling threatened and are even scared to go to school. The worst part is that schools are not doing anything and are not giving harsh consequences to the bullies,” reads the petition on Change.org. “The purpose of this petition is to show the Community that this is a real concern, and it does matter!”
“This was specifically made after a child’s turban was taken off at GHS,” says the petition started by Akaal Singh.
Over 15,000 people have signed the petition that started a week ago.
The boy stabbed during the incident on 6 May 2021 is stable and making good progress, according to reports.
‘Target bullying, not religious symbols’
Blacktown councillor Moninder Singh says the government should focus on the root cause of incidents in schools, rather than use them as an excuse to firm religious freedom.
He told NRI Affairs, “We recommend allowing Kirpan in parliament too. Instead of putting such bans in place, the real problems of school should be at the centre of attention.”
“Blacktown is one of the most multicultural cities of Australia where people from more than 188 countries live in harmony. They know about religious symbols of Sikhism.”
“Such bans would initiate a new debate, and the focus on real issues would be lost. We need to focus on issues such as bullying. Innocent children from various background have suffered. School administration should take these things seriously,” said Mr Singh.
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