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Page: Profile: Wren's Nest News Local
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Article: 20308
[Civil]
Date Posted:
1/8/2009
6:24:07 pm EST
Wvox Stats
Views: 2,953
RSS: 10,631
Comments: 9
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Local Sikh Sues IRS After Losing Job Over Religious Knife
Author: Lindsay Wise Source: Houston Chronicle
Title: LOCAL SIKH SUES IRS AFTER LOSING JOB OVER RELIGIOUS KNIFE
A local Sikh woman sued the Internal Revenue Service this week, alleging that the IRS violated her religious freedom by prohibiting her from wearing a small ceremonial knife to her job as a revenue agent.
The lawsuit, filed in Houston federal district court on Tuesday, states that the IRS fired Kawaljeet Kaur Tagore in July 2006 because she refused to take off her kirpan, an article of faith that Sikhs are required to wear at all times. The blunt blade, worn sheathed, is intended to remind the bearer of a Sikh's duty to protect the weak and promote justice.
Tagore, 35, is the same woman who said she and her family were harassed by Harris County sheriff deputies in November after calling 911 to report a burglary at their home. An investigation by the sheriff's Internal Affairs Division is ongoing.
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Community Thoughts: There are 9 comments posted | Reverse Sort |
| Weapons REQUIRE Intent | Jan 11th. at 12:55:15 pm EST
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Mythtic1 (Warren, Michigan) - Email Me
The problem is really in the definition of a weapon, As stated in the article "The IRS banned the kirpan as a so-called dangerous weapon, even though the government allows hundreds of sharp scissors, letter openers, knives and box cutters in the Mickey Leland Federal Building" Even some religious Icons worn by others, the mega crosses and Stars of Davids I've seen some people wearing
Ask any Martial artist or combat soldier what a weapon is... Give me a news paper and a Ball point pen, salt or pepper, hand full of dirt, a stick . The object itself does not become a weapon with out the Intent or Knowledge of the holder. Although I do carry a small knife and Multitool with me almost everywhere I go I have never considered them as weapons. Today's society is gotten soft and in many ways stupid, spanking an unruly child is a capitol offense, even yelling at them is seen as harmful. Isn't amazing how any one over 25 survived and grew up to useful members of society with all the years of torture and abuse we suffered ... riding bikes without helmets, climbing trees, running on the Playground, not having all the amazing electronic gadgets to keep us occupied.
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| Oh, For Goodness Sake. | Jan 11th. at 5:53:25 am EST
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Bunny Mazonas (Folkestone, England) - Email Me
This doesn't look to be an issue of a religious person "flashing" their religion in people's faces The article states that Kwaljeet approached her boss on the first day of work to inform him that she was carrying a kirpan UNDER her shirt. When he expressed concern over the matter, she compromised and offered to carry a smaller knife; one only 3 inches long at the blade, and blunt. Look at the picture in the article; that knife is tiny and hardly showy.
There is no indication that Kwaljeet was informed by her boss that he required the blade to be 2.5" or less before she was told to leave. Kwaljeet did everything right - her religious attire was kept discreet and under clothing, and she discussed it with her boss, then compromised to try and make the presence of her knife more acceptable.
I mean, for goodness sake. We have that 2.5" rule in the UK, but growing up we had a large Sikh community in my town and the kids in school all had their turbans and top-knots, their beards at puberty and of course their kirpans worn under the shirt. It was understood and accepted that religious items were exempt from that law.
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| I DON'T GET IT.... | Jan 11th. at 5:04:39 am EST
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Whitewolf (Schenectady, New York) - Email Me
they say the kirpan is used as a reminder to "protect the weak and promote justice".
Doesn't her religion, being a fundie religion, say just the OPPOSITE?
'jus something to think about....
Love to all
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| She Lost Her Job Over 1/2 Inch Of Knife | Jan 9th. at 3:29:35 pm EST
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Shadowbear (Hillsboro, Oregon) - Email Me
Seems like she is the one with the problem. If 3 inches satisfied her need for a knife, why would 2.5 inches not take care of the requirement? I think her protest was too much in this case. Workplace rules had to draw a line somewhere and they - HAD PREVIOUSLY - drawn it at 2.5 inches. They did not choose her knife, measure it, and then say 2.5 inches, not 3 inches. Shorter knife = job + religion simple, not prejudice, just general rules about knives.
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| Another Very Good Reason.... | Jan 9th. at 9:33:06 am EST
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bigcat (peoria, Illinois) - Email Me
To keep things very hidden and to keep very quiet. She has about as much luck with her kirpan as a Wiccan would have carrying an athame to that self same job.
If the job has certain restrictions, one which one absolutely must circumvent, it is always best to do so very quietly and not allow such a thing to be a distraction. There is always enough of that when Fundie types try to string an almost life sized "true cross" around their necks into work as if to dare someone to comment on it.
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| "Strict Scrutiny" Of "Because I Said So" | Jan 9th. at 2:02:08 am EST
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Terry (Irvington, Virginia) - Email Me
This is the kind of case that in theory is a slam-dunk, but often ends up annoying judges because the ultimate standard of legal fact doesn't fit their prejudices as to experts and verifiable legal evidence. It's a case where the employer is required to accommodate the employee absent compelling basis to do otherwise, and broad blanket policies that restrict religious items less hazardous than many common workplace tools seriously fail that test. However, this is like vegan prison diet and religious symbol versus gang symbol cases as to the kirpan size, where interpretation of religious "mandates" is based on personal interpretation and so ends up being in part an artbitrary emotional basis for legal rights, in this case as to when a 2.5", 3", or 7" blade might be "required".
In other Sikh kirpan cases over the years, often involving school kids, I've understood some Sikh groups to view it as mandatory that both edges of that dagger (another trigger of some weapons laws, that tolerate larger single edge blades) be sharp enough for lethal use, and not be merely a symbolic non-functional knife. That's still irrelevant in most offices with hazardous tools present, unlike prison cases where the same issues of differences among Wiccans over dull versus sharp athames exist. I've also seen some Sikh groups state kirpans are required for males, implying not for females. Go a few steps further into self guided pagan paths, and it's not just the details of a specific item organized bodies of the overall religion agree is mandatory in some form where "because I said so" is the ultimate legal fact standard, but nearly any and every life issue. That results in our larger legal system having massive defects when it's used to impose social order based on certain historic religions and cultures, and thousands of mala prohibita (victimless crime laws) that both codify prejudices AND cannot be justified as serving any compelling government interest, broad or narrow.
The irony of someone suing the IRS about issues of injustice, while conspiring with them rather than defend against the abuses in both the fraud of their defective legal foundation through illegal operating tactics, screams loudly from this case. However, given the courts are in theory a last peaceful remedy for injustices themselves, if larger legal principles were upheld by those courts rather than perverse tactical dances that apply blinders and cookie cutters to select areas of law, the IRS wouldn't exist to employ anyone.
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| To Protect The Weak, Against Injustice | Jan 8th. at 10:28:43 pm EST
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Ahr-Ohn (Bridgeport, Connecticut) - Email Me
That knife is becoming a very dangerous weapon.
Yes, Angle Brackets are prohibited, to prevent HTML from interfering with our browsers.
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| Trying It Again. | Jan 8th. at 9:49:20 pm EST
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Jeff Kincaid (Lynchburg, Virginia) - Email Me
Guess the server did not like my angle brackets. Anyway, She said the knife is to "remind the bearer of a Sikh's duty to protect the weak and promote justice."
And yet, she works for the IRS? How does that work?? LOL
Seriously, I am torn on this issue. If she is REQUIRED to wear it at all times by her religion, then fine, Where it under some clothing and shut up about it. This reminds me of Pagans who pent flash with pent the size of Mercedes emblems.
Religious rules are one thing, but if you take a job knowing the restrictions and THEN grouse about it, then you are the problem, not the gov't.
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| Wait A Sec | Jan 8th. at 9:47:28 pm EST
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Jeff Kincaid (Lynchburg, Virginia) - Email Me
She said >>>remind the bearer of a Sikh's duty to protect the weak and promote justice.
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