King Posted January 26, 2007 Share Posted January 26, 2007 Reaction to daggers 'smacks of racism' NZPA | Friday, 26 January 2007 Email a Friend | Printable View | Have Your SayRelated Links ? Subscribe to Archivestuff ? Have your say A Hastings Sikh priest asked to hand over his religious dagger by a pilot after he boarded a plane to Napier said the issue only served to highlight the racism his community faced in the post-September 11 world. READ FEEDBACK... PASSENGER ALARM OVER DAGGERS ON PLANE Jarnail Singh and a group of Sikh priests visiting from India got through security wearing their kirpans (daggers) under their shirts at Auckland's domestic terminal without any problems and boarded their flight to Napier on Sunday afternoon. Mr Singh said a woman sitting behind him spotted his kirpan sticking out and began shaking. "She said I had a knife and got panicked," Mr Singh said. "I asked her 'please calm down, we are not what you think'." The woman's husband notified cabin crew and the pilot asked the men to hand over their kirpans until they landed in Napier. They were given them back once all other passengers had got off the plane in Napier. "Air New Zealand was very fair. It's just disappointing when one lady reacts like that and makes an issue out of it," Mr Singh said. "If we are travelling international we put them in luggage but we have never had a problem before." Mr Singh said he was often taunted by people calling him Bin Laden because of his long beard which under Sikh tradition he is not permitted to cut. "I think people are still paranoid after 9/11 but I'm not even Muslim," he said. "I have a turban, see, so that's how you can tell." Mr Singh has been living in New Zealand for 19 years and working for five years as the vineyard manager at Park Estate Winery. He has been travelling with the priests who are in New Zealand for nine months and visiting the temples for ceremonies which include prayer and song. But passenger David Anderson said he was concerned that security in a post-September 11 terrorist attack environment was so lax. "There was no security screening whatsoever," he said. "I checked in electronically. No photo ID was needed. I then boarded the plane without passing through a metal detector or having my bags x-rayed. "This is the second time I have done this flight and it was the same the previous time. "If this had happened in America there would have been helicopters and Swat teams and megaphones and no one would have been going to Napier in a hurry. But we do things differently down under, I guess." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Posted January 26, 2007 Author Share Posted January 26, 2007 Re: Reaction to daggers 'smacks of racism' There is no freakin racism there, if someone is travelling with a dagger and if you don't really know his religion it sure is unsettling. I think people seem to use the term "Racism" a bit too lightly these days. Just because you are some religious leader and it permits in your religion to carry dagger you can't ask the rest of the passengers to oblige with it. It is possible the terrorists can dress up as a religious person and carry a dagger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gator Posted January 26, 2007 Share Posted January 26, 2007 Re: Reaction to daggers 'smacks of racism' yeah Ravi.... i jus dont comprehend this custom of sikhs having to carry daggers everywhere..... this is 21st century for heaven's sake... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kumble_rocks Posted January 26, 2007 Share Posted January 26, 2007 Re: Reaction to daggers 'smacks of racism' I am curious to hear from Dada_Rocks and Bheembhai about this matter. I personally think that Sikhs should not be permitted to carry dagger . If tommorrow , a digambar jain Jain insists on being naked in Public , should he be allowed to do so ? I think not ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anakin Posted January 26, 2007 Share Posted January 26, 2007 Re: Reaction to daggers 'smacks of racism' Agree, it's just another form of orthodoxy which I don't like Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest dada_rocks Posted January 26, 2007 Share Posted January 26, 2007 Re: Reaction to daggers 'smacks of racism' There is no freaking racism rule is rule I won't feel comfortable sitting beside a man with dagger in plane moreover who knows who u are is it really hard for a islamic terrorist to dress like sikh and carry those dagger and once in air drop the cloak of sikh individual and indulge in what they do....... Moreover last time I checked Air india bombing was done by some dagger-carrying sikh ... Bottomline aapke shakal pe likha nahin hai ki aap sharafat ke putale ho... You religious rights or for that matter any rights ends where public security comes into question...... :wtg: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Tendulkar Posted January 26, 2007 Share Posted January 26, 2007 Re: Reaction to daggers 'smacks of racism' I agree that sikhs should not be allowed to carry daggers. However, many do not but have small imitation tucked inside their turban. Thus sikhs have recognised the problem and adjusted. Fair play to them :wtg: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaurav Posted January 26, 2007 Share Posted January 26, 2007 Re: Reaction to daggers 'smacks of racism' There is no freakin racism there' date=' if someone is travelling with a dagger and if you don't really know his religion it sure is unsettling. I think people seem to use the term "Racism" a bit too lightly these days. Just because you are some religious leader and it permits in your religion to carry dagger you can't ask the rest of the passengers to oblige with it. It is possible the terrorists can dress up as a religious person and carry a dagger.[/quote'] EXACTLY :wtg: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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