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| December 17, 2009 | | Turban ban stirs up fresh storm in New Zealand | | Auckland: Sikh New Zealand National MP Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi,
has said that he will lodge a complaint against the Manurewa Cosmopolitan Club in the Human Rights Commission if it does not change its entry rules with regards
to turbans. Bakshi's comments came after a local Sikh community leader, Karnail
Singh, was refused entry into the club to attend a function because of his turban.
According to reports, the Club staff had told Singh that the turban was considered
headwear, and wearing headwear in the club was against its rules. "So ridiculous
that this is happening in this day and age in New Zealand, when the Sikhs have
been part of our society for 120 years and even the police recognize the turban
as part of their official uniform," The New Zealand Herald quoted Bakshi, as saying.
"The turban is no ordinary headwear, it is one of the very foundations and principal
articles of our Sikh religion. I am allowed to wear the turban in Parliament.
Why should a cossie club ban it from its premises?" he added. Meanwhile, the commission
said that they have received complaints against the club in the past as well for
banning guests due to their religious headwear. Earlier this year, the club had
refused to let a Muslim international student enter its dining area, as she was
wearing a religious headscarf. "An outcome from that mediation was the club's
agreement to review its rule on headwear and dress code," a commission spokesman
said. The commission also said that it would welcome Bakshi lodging a further
complaint against the club over the latest incident, although it had already set
a mediation date next month between the parties involved. |
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