The law in question bars Sikhs from wearing turbans in every official ID, and was discussed with ex-President Sarkozy on his visit to India too.
New Delhi: As French President Emmanuel Macron arrives in India for a three-day visit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj have received letters from the Sikh community to address an “unjust law” hurting the Sikh diaspora’s identity in France.
In a letter written to PM Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Manjinder Singh Sirsa, general secretary of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee, has sought to draw their attention to the “unjustified law for mandatory removal of dastaar (turban) of Sikhs living in France on every official ID”.
Arguing that the turban and the Sikhi kakaars – five items that Guru Gobind Singh commanded Khalsa Sikhs to wear at all times – are not “fashionable items for Sikhs”, and are instead an “inseparable part of Sikh culture and the Sikhi way of living”, Sirsa has requested the Prime Minister to discuss the issue with the French President during the visit.
“The issue was taken up earlier during (former French President Nicolas) Sarkozy’s visit to India as well, but nothing was done. Even earlier, we have conveyed to the French government to not see our issues as those of other religions,” said Sirsa, the MLA for Delhi’s Rajouri Garden, representing the Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP alliance.
In his letter to Swaraj, Sirsa has raised the issues of wearing turbans and other Sikh symbols in schools and workplaces as well. “Even Sikh children are not being allowed to wear dastaar and other Sikhi kakaars in French schools. Furthermore, there are no jobs for Sikhs wearing dastaar in France,” the letter states.
However, the issue of removing turbans for official IDs is the “most important”, Sirsa told ThePrint. “Even if I say we won’t send our kids to French schools, for example, we can’t not have ID proofs,” he said.
In 2016, the French embassy in New Delhi clarified that there was no ban on wearing turbans in public spaces. Even then, a charge was made by a Sikh organisation that the community had been fighting for its right to wear religious symbols in France.
Those who are commenting that Sikhs should not ask Indian government to help them. Let me first tell you that Sikhs are Indians, We don’t have a separate country where we can go and expect the government to help us like India does for Hindus. Second, imagine if France banned wearing Bindi, Mangalsutra or Tikka, would Indian govt buy billions of dollars worth weapons and Rafael planes from France? RSS would have sent modi back to his tea stall. So why no stand with Sikhs and if you can’t, give is our own country.
Despite imploring to the French PM’s both erstwhile and current by Sikh organisations and even by Dr ManmohanSingh when he was PM little headway seems to have been made on the issue of granting Sikhs their religious rights inFrance:One fails to comprehend the obstinacy of the French govt in accepting and granting the Sikh French citizens their right to donn the turban and the Sikh children in ecoles the right to wear their religious symbols.If push comes to shove then Sikh religious bodies need to take up the matter in real earnest with the French intellectuals who could bring to bear the necessary pressure on its government to amend this archaic law and simultaneously highlight this at the UN.
When you migrate to France, respect french rules and customs, their sentiments, integrate with their society rather than creating a raucous asking the host to adjust to your alien tradition. This must be true for all migrants, migrating to greener pastures. India is the homeland of Sikhs, Sikhs, sikh traditions, customs are naturally respected all over India.
In France, please obey french laws and respect their civilizational values, rather than insisting on every Tom Dick and Harry culture to be respected by them. Sikhs are integral part of Indian culture and value systems. This country is your home, you are all loved and respected in all over India. But don’t even expect and alien culture to do that.
Well said.
Sikhs have no “rights” to impose Sikh religion on France . Sikhs have to embrace French law in France.
This absurd nonsense of going to somebody’s home and then telling them to accommodate YOUR beliefs and YOUR ideals is ridiculous. I won’t allow any Sikh with a Kirpan into my home – why should France allow Sikhs into their home when Sikhs do not observe the law in France ?
Without getting to the genesis of the problems faced by Sikhs in France both Mr Ghosh and Maz have posted stupid comments which are extremely insensitive.Sikhs have merely demanded that they be allowed to wear their Turbans and for the Sikh children in schools to wear the Kara.Imagine a bong without his traditional dhuti punjabi or not allowed to carry Durga Protims from India to worship in Your adopted country or further not allowed to have your Maach Bharat or listen to Rabindra Sangeet.Nowhere have the Sikhs demanded that they be allowed to carry Kirpans in France.And yes we Sikhs are community which has forced world bodies worldwide to exempt them from wearing Helmets whilst riding two wheelers and the most widely settled community Worldwide.No community would meekly accept religious freedom being denied to them in India or any part of the World.