it wasn't a foot long knife, they aren't very big at all.
Carrying a Knife
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it wasn't a foot long knife, they aren't very big at all.
how would you know, you werent there were you?
all we have to go on is what the op said
op said:
now maybe he exaggerated it a little but the blade was obviously big enough to cause concern
I did actually just LOL at that
well all this thread has served to show is the OPs ignorance so I'm not sure we can trust him on his estimation of the size.
I went out dressed as a pirate last night and the bouncer who could hardly talk a word of english wouldnt let me in because of my plastic sword!
I asked him why and he said "Fear! It cause fear to many people!!". As you can imagine i was ******* myself laughing lol! He let me in after i tried stabbing my mate with it just to show him it was bendy the idiot!
I asked him why and he said "Fear! It cause fear to many people!!". As you can imagine i was ******* myself laughing lol! He let me in after i tried stabbing my mate with it just to show him it was bendy the idiot!
maybe it has shown that he doesnt know anything about sikhism but why should he? I wouldnt expect a Sikh or a Muslim or a Mormon, etc to know a lot about or understand Catholicism for example
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Maybe not know a lot about but I'd probably expect a basic understanding of some of the more important points or failing that I'd hope that they would educate themselves on the basics of the religion before declaring the other person to be in the wrong.
That is narrow minded.
Exactly. I know nothing about Sikhism and if I saw a man with a knife/sword/whatever, I'd assume it was for aggresive purposes. Blaming someone for not knowing is just as ignorant as the person who doesn't know what it's for. In fact it's worse, because the reaction to a sword is expected and should be considered and it would be ignorant of a Sikh not to expect a reaction to it.
All this considered, there's no problem with a religious garment, but if it is highly likely to cause fear or distress then a little consideration would go a long way. Perhaps it could be under cloth and out of immediate sight for example. Does this break the religious rule? Could more be done to respect his surroundings when wearing it?
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I'm atheist. I don't educate myself on the basics of other religions as I've got more important things to do with my life. Does that make me wrong for misinterpreting the kirpan? After all, a sword is a weapon designed to kill people.
its a situation where unless you know the guys is a Sikh to begin with and that they carry it as part of their beliefs then you would take it as seen and wonder why a guy is walking down the road with a blade
i`m sure that the op now knows enough so hes not worried in the future
people cant really be expected to learn about such things beforehand in the off chance they come across a Sikh in full Regalia
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It doesn't make you wrong but it does leave you open to looking a bit foolish if you instantly mouth off about a subject you don't know enough about. If you want an example I tend not to comment on nuclear physics as I don't know enough to do so meaningfully normally. As I've said before you are free to judge people on anything but don't be surprised if they judge you right back.
its a situation where unless you know the guys is a Sikh to begin with and that they carry it as part of their beliefs then you would take it as seen and wonder why a guy is walking down the road with a blade
i`m sure that the op now knows enough so hes not worried in the future
people cant really be expected to learn about such things beforehand in the off chance they come across a Sikh in full Regalia
Perhaps not, I'd just hope that the initial reaction wouldn't be to declare the other person to be in the wrong without finding out a bit more. I don't know a huge amount about lots of religions but I know the basics of quite a few, at least enough to start me off researching further anyway - I wouldn't have thought it was all that unusual but maybe I'm wrong again on the level of knowledge to expect.
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That's it right there. How do I know he's a Sikh? It's just a man carrying a sword. How would I know how to judge the situation? Because of the colour of his skin? The subject, from my perspective, is the knife. From his perspective, the religion. Misunderstood of course, education is the answer, sure, but if you don't know, you don't know. We're not talking about a garment here, it's a weapon. How is my interpretation foolish and not understandable?
There's always the possibility you got it wrong and end up getting stabbed. It happens. Is that a viable risk?
I wouldn't have thought it was all that unusual but maybe I'm wrong again on the level of knowledge to expect.
If a Sikh came up here with his kirpan showing i`m sure the police would be inundated with phonecalls , its something rarely if ever seen
It certainly could do and this is most people's minimum insight into sikhism, not sword carrying. Beyond that, a trust is involved whether the sword is for peaceful purposes, a trust many people aren't willing to offer and rightly so. Weapons kill.wouldnt the turban give it away
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I didn't say that the interpretation was foolish as such, I said mouthing off about subjects you don't know enough about (without finding out more) is foolish.
It is also a weapon that would go with other symbols of the Sikh faith so if you see someone carrying a kirpan alone then you would have reason to be more worried but the carrier should also have on a turban or patka to cover their uncut hair (kesh) which is perhaps the most obvious (and important to the faith) symbol. The rest of the 5 Ks you are not so likely to see.
True it is a possibility but then again we come back to the question - how many incidents of unprovoked attacks have been perpetrated by Sikhs with the kirpan? Compare this with how many people have been stabbed by others who are not Sikh (do this as a percentage of the population basis or as a simple outright number if you wish) and then tell me which group you have more to fear from. I'm personally more worried about the little thugs who carry concealed knives about than by those who wear symbols of their faith proudly but perhaps that is because I know a tiny bit about the religion.
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I wonder if the police will stop sikhs carrying and check the blade is fixed in the sheath. I doubt it as be charged with some religious harassment crime.
This country is a joke, a wet blanket and other cultures/religions know it. Democracy doesn't work, it just results in a mess where anything goes.
This country is a joke, a wet blanket and other cultures/religions know it. Democracy doesn't work, it just results in a mess where anything goes.
As I said before, this is the problem. It is a subject I know enough about because it's a sword and it's a weapon and it hurts (remember - from my perspective). The motivation behind it, the religion etc., is something I know nothing about. Because I know nothing about it, am I foolish for not assuming the link between the two and having an opinion on the matter? Personally I see that opinion as narrow minded. At least I'm ignorant but happy to be educated. Don't you get the potential for fear in this situation?
Thanks for the insight. Again, I know nothing about it and have learned about the kirpan in this thread. Had I seen a Sikh with a sword before, I'd assume he was a violent nutter, a valid judgement IMO.