World Sikh Organization Of Canada Supports Alberta Student's Right To Don Kilt

World Sikh Organization of Canada Supports Alberta Student's Right to Don Kilt

World Sikh Organization of Canada Supports Alberta Student's Right to Don Kilt

TTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - May 25, 2010) - The World Sikh Organization of Canada (WSO) supports Alberta's Hamish Jacobs, 19, in his bid to wear a formal kilt to his high school graduation ceremony. The WSO sent a letter of support for the young man to the Superintendent of Westwind School Division, who will be hearing Mr. Jacobs appeal of the school district's graduation dress code on June 1. The human rights organization wants to remind the Raymond, Alberta school board that the Canadian Charter of Rights recognizes the multicultural heritage of Canadians. All Canadians have the right to maintain their cultural identities.

"Tolerance and accommodation of diversity are what make us Canadian," says Gian Singh Sandu, the WSO's policy advisor. "Forcing individuals to abandon their cultural or religious practices is not the Canadian way and it creates an atmosphere of intolerance and inequity."

The school district has a policy on graduation attire that reflects a narrow definition of formal wear: men are required to wear dress pants. Mr. Sandhu says that Sikh Canadians can sympathize with Mr. Jacobs' plight, as it mirrors their own struggle to wear clothing that reflects their faith, such as the turban, while in uniform. In 1990, Cst. Baltej Dhillon won the right to wear the turban while on duty as an RCMP officer. And it took years of debate, but now Sikh veterans have the right to wear turbans in Canadian Legion Halls.

WSO President Prem Singh Vinning echoed Mr. Sandu's view of the young Canadian's right to honour his heritage.

"Accommodation of a kilt should be a non-issue in Canada: I cannot conceive of any hardship it would pose," Mr. Vinning says. He adds that crucifixes, yarmulkes and turbans are all accommodated in schools across Canada, there is no reason the Scottish kilt should be treated any differently.

The World Sikh Organization (WSO) is a non-profit international organization with a mandate to promote and protect the interests of the Sikh Diaspora, as well as to promote and advocate for the protection of human rights for all individuals, irrespective of race, religion, gender, ethnicity, and social and economic status.

Respected forum members, here is a link to a related story on this topic.

Sikh group backs Alta. student's right to wear kilt - CTV News

I endorse the WSO action in this matter for "I desire for myself what i wish
others in life." This also reminds me of the following words of Pastor Martin Niemoller:

"THEY CAME FIRST for the Communists,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist.
THEN THEY CAME for the Jews,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew.
THEN THEY CAME for the trade unionists,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist.
THEN THEY CAME for me
and by that time no one was left to speak up."

Why this becomes so complicated, I do not know.

The school board said this, "The Westwinds School District has said the policy was put in place to prevent students from wearing shorts or flip flops."

All they have to do is publish in advance that students who want to deviate from the policy can file a written request some time in advance for an exception. Publish the policy months in advance. Authorize an administrator to make a determination using some cultural guidelines, and guidelines that exclude bare feet or shorts. That would be it. If someone Swiss wants to wear leather shorts he will probably also wear the long hose that go with them. But truly -- how many people are going to fall into the "exceptional category?" Most students are not going to do something embarrassing. If someone shows up in jeans or wearing a diaper, and without an approved exception, then they are barred at the door.

Alberta student wins battle to wear kilt at high school graduation


By Joe Fries, Calgary Herald - May 26, 2010 6:02 PM


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In the face of growing pulic pressure, trustees from the Westwind School Division agreed today to let Hamish Jacobs wear the traditional Scottish formal wear under his gown, despite a policy that requires males to wear pants and dress shoes to the diploma ceremony.


School board chairman Lance Miller said trustees would have probably rewritten the policy at their next scheduled meeting June 1, but decided to act sooner to quell the controversy.


Miller said the policy will undergo a formal review at the June 1 meeting.

Jacobs's bid to wear the kilt won support from many quarters, including the World Sikh Organization of Canada, which sent a letter to the school board reminding trustees of the importance of allowing people to hounour their cultural roots.


Raymond is about 250 kilometres southeast of Calgary.

© Copyright (c) The Calgary Herald

source: http://www.calgaryherald.com/life/Alberta+student+wins+battle+wear+kilt+high+school+graduation/3074963/story.html

Seems as if they read this thread and made an obvious choice - a U turn.