| Kirpan
| Turban | Language
| Census | 1984 Carnage
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Wearing
the 'Kirpan' is an essential part of the Sikh Code of Conduct. Sikh
Community around the world is facing the challenge from the Governments
of their respective home countries to allow them to wear 'Kirpan'.
In Australia the case is no different. The Sikhs in Australia (individually
as well as through various Sikh organisations) have taken a range
of steps to inform the Government (at all levels, Local/Council, State
as well as the Federal), Departments (such as Customs, Police, Roads
etc) as well as the wider Australian Community about significance
of 'Kirpan' for a Sikh. |
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Amendment
of Knife Legislation |
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| Turban |
Unshorn hair
('Kesh') are also an essential part of the Sikh Code of Conduct.
This makes Turban an essential part of a Sikh's attire. Like the
'Kirpan' issue, this is another issue where the Government and its
departments as well as the wider Australian community need to be
informed about the importance of the Turban for a Sikh. More importantly,
in order to tackle the hate crimes and discrimination based on the
'looks' the Australian community is being educated about the distinction
between a Sikh and other members of the community who may also wear
a Turban or cover their head or perhaps may look the same due to
other items of clothing (for example the salwar and kameez for the
women).
In a recent
speech the Minister of Citizenship Peter McGauran has committed
that Australia will never ask Sikhs to do what the French Government
has asked (in 2004) and in fact he has gone a step further by promising
that he will find ways to put pressure on the French Government
to lift the ban on the Turban for Sikhs.
Hopefully the
Government will introduce measures which will allow the wider Australian
community to be more aware and tolerant and not discriminate against
someone wearing a Turban and not assume that they might be a terrorist.
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| Language |
Punjabi as a Language is mostly learnt by children born or bought
up in Australia due to the fact that it is spoken at home. However,
this is not always the case and in order to save the Punjabi Language
in Gurmukhi Script, the Sikhs in Australia have, in partnership with
the Education Department and Board of Studies, prepared a K-7 Punjabi
Syllabus. The next stage, for 8-12 is currently being prepared. |
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| Census |
The Australian Bureau of Statistics is being approached to add extra
categories so that true picture of the number of Sikhs in Australia
can be determined. These categories include 'SIKH' under religion
and 'PUNJABI' under language/mother tounge.
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| 1984
Carnage |
Sikhs were butchered in India in 1984. They were made to abandon
their own homeland and as a result many of them found refuge in
countries such as Australia. This very emotional issue is being
explained to the relevant athorities in Australia, so that people
responsible for this carnage are kept away from Australia for ever.
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Please
contact SCA if you like to add other
issues that you feel that the Sikhs in Australia are facing and
need to be resolved.
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