The Sikhs are to be commended for standing firm and refusing to compromise the principles of their faith to satisfy the Secret Service to meet with the pope. As I’ve mentioned before, the Catholic Church isn’t complaining about the SS’s infringement of the Sikh’s religious freedom. Some people seem to be puzzled why the Sikhs would choose a “dagger” over the glamour of meeting the pope. For them, it’s a simple answer, “We cannot undermine the rights and freedoms of religion in the name of security”–or interreligious conversation.
2 thoughts on “Conviction or Compromise”
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Advent Hope 
Public safety v. religious expression…
Personally, I think the danger the kirpan poses is exaggerated, but here’s another instance where I take the side of public safety.
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/2008/03/06/helmet-sikh.html
And yet in 2006 the Supreme Court of Canada ruled in favor of a Sikh teenager carrying the kirpan to school (article). So I’m sure this helmet case will also be appealed to the Supreme Court. But there’s a difference. The turban isn’t required–it’s the cutting of the hair that’s prohibited; one could take the turban off and put the helmet on, and then re-tie the turban after taking the helmet off. It’s a question of what becomes an undue hardship.