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The outlawing of
religious symbols
By Kevin J. Hasson
But that was not to be since the man was a Sikh priest on his way back from a religious ceremony and required to wear the five symbols of his faith which
include a kirpan -- a symbolic, dulled "knife" in a sheath wrapped around his waist. When the police stopped at the
scene of the accident and inadvertently discovered the kirpan, they arrested Mr. Bhatia and charged him with
carrying a concealed weapon, an offense punishable by six months imprisonment.
The Sikh faith and the symbols Mr. Bhatia is required to wear may seem exotic to some --- they include uncut hair,
a hair comb, a bracelet, and special undergarments, in addition to the kirpan. But their meaning is rooted in a
centuries-old religion.
The "five k's", as they are collectively referred to, are : the kesh, which reflects the Sikh's
belief that growing hair is natural and that it should not be cut from the body, the kangha, a comb which holds the
hair in place, the kara, a steel bracelet which represents strength and symbolizes continuity through its round
shape, the kach, an undergarment symbolizing sexual restraint, and the kirpan, a symbol of the readiness of a Sikh
to do justice and to resist evil, an almost universal tenet of major world religions.
The kirpan is not a weapon but
merely one of the five reminders of a sikh's beliefs.
The prosecutor in this case lacks imagination. He thinks the kirpan is a weapon, no matter what its actual purpose
may be. But the statutory law of the State of Ohio defines "deadly weapon" as "any instrument, device, or thing
capable of inflicting death, and designed or specially adapted for use as a weapon, or possessed, carried, or used as
a weapon". The dulled kirpan is about as capable of inflicting death as a butter knife and was designed as a
ceremonial religious symbol, not a weapon.
More importantly, wearing the kirpan is an integral part of Mr.
Bhatia's religious expression. As a different court in another part of Ohio found in a very similar case, "Sikhism is
an ancient religion now practiced by eighteen million people worldwide. Approximately 150,000 Sikhs live in the
United States... [A] central tenet of the Sikh religion requires a baptized follower to wear at all times five symbols
of his faith... [A] kirpan is designed and worn as a religion symbol, much as a crucifix, once an instrument of torture,
is designed and worn as a religious symbol by Christians."
Which brings up an interesting point: Doesn't this
prosecutor have anything better to do? Is Ohio really such a safe place that he can focus his resources, not on
guns but on priests wearing religious symbols? Come on.
And in a prison in Wisconsin -- a place where "getting
religion" certainly ought to be welcomed with opened arms -- a one-inch cross was categorized as a contraband
weapon. Of course our society does need to protect itself from as many real threats of danger as it can, but the fact
that a priest who was on his way home from a religious ceremony now faces a criminal trial and the possibility of
serving six months in a state penitentiary for wearing what amounts to a ceremonial butter knife is absurd and
should be offensive to believers of all faiths -- and also to the hardworking taxpayers of
http://www.jewishworldreview.com --
RECENTLY IN A SUBURB of Cleveland, Ohio, a man got into a minor fender-bender with another driver. After making
sure no one was hurt, exchanging insurance information and enduring the obvious headache of being in a traffic
accident, his day should have continued in a more predictable manner.
If the Ohio court determines that the Sikh priest's religious symbol is actually a deadly weapon, it will be a loss for
all religious people. Outward signs of faith are essential to just about every religion and should be protected rather
than punished. Just recently the Star of David was rescued from being classified as a gang symbol and
consequently banned in one Mississippi high school. 
JWR contributor Kevin Hasson is president of The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty. Let him know what you think by clicking here.
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