Update:
In the original article we stated that Rami Ranger asked for the Kirpan to
be dropped as a Kakkar. In our correspondences with Mr. Ranger he has
clarified that he believes that the Kirpan should not be more than 3 inches
(to our understanding be believes this limitation should apply in all
situations) and should be dull. Thus, Mr. Ranger wants to see the Kirpan
relegated to the status of a useless symbol.
Mr. Ranger states (as seen below)
that It is also a fact that many terrorists resemble us in their
appearance, so why give a chance to anyone who may easily mistake us as one
of them. The editors at Sikh24 find this type of reasoning to be very
detrimental to the Panth as the same reasoning can / is used by many to
falsely assert that other Sikh requirements such as Kesh and Dastaar should
also be done away with. We hope Mr. Ranger sees the ramifications of this
type of reasoning and changes his stance before more damage is done to the
Panth. The original article is printed below:
(September 23, 2012) On 27th August 2012, Dr. Rami Ranger, a
self-proclaimed representative of the Sikh community and Chairman of the
British Sikh Association, wrote a letter to S. Avtar Singh Makkar, President
of the SGPC (Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee the mini-Parliament
of the Sikhs).
He asked for the Kirpan to be
dropped as an article of the Sikh faith. What hope can the British Sikh
community hold in such individuals to defend their religious rights when
they clearly have little knowledge of Sikh traditions and values?
Following is the text of the
correspondence from Rami Ranger to the SGPC.
From: Rami Ranger <rami@ramiranger.com>
To: sgpc@vsnl.com
Sent: Monday, 27 August 2012, 12:39
Subject: RE: Kirpan and safety of Sikhs.
To, The President of the SGPC,
Dear Khalsa Ji,
Gur Fateh
In view of the changing world where terrorism has
become an integral part of everyday life, we ought to take a fresh look at
our religious symbol, the Kirpan.
In any case, it is now considered to be just a symbol rather than a
necessary weapon for our protection as it once was.
In any case, we are no longer fighting the Mughals.
The next wars will be fought with the help of science and technology.
We can see in some part of the world how drone attacks are not providing
protection to those who once considered themselves to be invincible.
Besides, we now live in a civilised world where there is police and the
rule of law to protect our liberties along with everyone else in society.
Regrettably, the Kirpan can no longer provide us defence if the other
person is carrying a gun.
In some cases, the culprit will even be encouraged to use the gun if he
sees a person with a Kirpan.
It is also a fact that many terrorists resemble us in their appearance, so
why give a chance to anyone who may easily mistake us as one of them.
Many of our fellow Sikhs have been the victims of mistaken identity. We
cannot sit back and do nothing whilst someone else gets killed.
We have a responsibility to do something for their sake as well as for the
sake of our fellow Sikhs who could also become victims of a mistaken
identity unwittingly with dire consequences for their loved ones.
We must also not provide a spectacle at airports and seaports by standing
out by wearing Kirpan.
It is our duty to make the job of security personnels of securing us and
our families easier by not holding them or the rest of the passengers
whilst we insist on carrying full size Kirpan.
You will agree that it is very difficult to change the world but it is
relatively easy to change ourselves to adapt to the changing world.
A species which will survive in the future will not be the most
intelligent or the strongest, but one who can adapt to change.
I believe the time has come for us to adapt to survive by carrying only a
3 inch ceremonial Kirpan as a mark of respect to our Gurus who liberated
us after paying supreme sacrifices.
Our Gurus will understand the situation. Besides, they always advocated
that we must live by our actions and deeds rather than rituals.
Please provide leadership so that we remain a prosperous and progressive
community in line with the vision of our Gurus for the entire mankind.
The Sikhs must move with the times rather than trying to remain the
monuments of our past.
Please do forgive me if my views do not make sense.
I mean well for our community. I thank you for your understanding.
The British Sikh Association, which Mr.
Ranger is the Chairman of, does not seem to promote the basic Sikh
fundamentals in its annual dinner. This past year, dance was part of the
function and alcohol was provided to the attendees, despite it being a
cardinal taboo in the Sikh religion.
Rami is the founder
member of the Hindu Forum Britain
www.hfb.org.uk which was set up to unite all the different Hindu
Organizations in Britain under one umbrella so that they could project a
cohesive voice to British government departments. He felt that it was
essential for the public to know about the Hindu religion otherwise they
would continue to depict Hindu deities in derogatory ways such as on carrier
bags, shoes, T-Shirts etc. This would also damage the self esteem of Hindus.
He organized the first ever prestigious Hindu Ball at the Hilton Hotel, Park
Lane, London to celebrate Hindu culture and its contribution in enriching
British society. The Ball helped the local population understand more about
Hinduism and also stopped people from using images of Hindu Gods
frivolously.
Rami is also the
Chairman of the British Sikh Association
www.britishsikhassociation.org which promotes interfaith dialogue. This
was set up to stop the extremist Sikh organizations from representing the
Sikh point of view in Britain. He has vigorously argued with these extremist
organizations that the Sikhs were created to defend the unity, integrity and
the basic human rights of every Indian and not to break her up. When Sikh
Gurus never claimed a separate kingdom for themselves, then why should their
followers demand a kingdom?
Source:
http://www.ramiranger.com/
