Religious privilege trumps equality yet again

29 July 2008  

As reported in today’s The Telegraph, a sikh teenager who was excluded from school after refusing to take off a religious bangle has won her discrimination case at the High Court.

Sarika Watkins-Singh, 14, was reprimanded for breaking the “no jewellery” rule at Aberdare Girls’ School in South Wales last year.

In court, she said wearing the slim steel bracelet was as important to her as it was to the England cricketer Monty Panesar.

Sarika, who is Punjabi-Welsh, claimed she was the victim of unlawful discrimination when she was first taught in isolation and finally excluded last November.

The school, at which Sarika was the only Sikh among 600 girls, does not permit jewellery other than wristwatches and ear studs.

But Mr Justice Silber ruled that the bangle - known as the kara - was a symbol of her Sikh faith and not a piece of jewellery.

He said that the school was guilty of indirect discrimination under race relations and equality laws.

Right. That’s it. Fuck it.

I have a religion. It’s a lack-of-faith-based “faith”, and it’s called “Realityism”. It doesn’t have any gods, but it does have beliefs (based on good evidence). I will hereby quote the entirety of the scripture of Realityism here:

The Big Bumper Book of Realityism

Chapter 1

1 The cosmos, and everything in it, simply is.

2 The universe, and everything in it, are the tacit and explicit symbols of your “faith”. 3 Carry any symbols that you want to, to demonstrate your acceptance of your “faith”. 4 Nobody can tell you that you are wrong in your choice of symbol - it is they who are wrong.

5 Let reality, through evidence, be your guide.

6 Enjoy life.

There. Dead easy to remember and live by.

I wonder what my choice of symbol can be. I’ve always fancied a ninja outfit. But that’s not enough, I really need to show people how sincere I am in my “faith”. I know, why not something like sikhs do with their knives kirpan’s or this kid does with her jewellery symbol.

What I choose to carry won’t be jewellery or a weapon either, it’ll be a symbol just like these people have. And I will of course be free to carry it where something very very similar might otherwise be prohibited in a secular environment. But, of course, as a symbol, it’s completely different, isn’t it?

What do you mean to say that I can’t carry a 30″ blade or a crossbow or a shotgun in public? They’re not weapons, you heathen, they’re SYMBOLS! Don’t you understand, it was recently ruled in the High Court that one can happily flout societal norms when “faith” is involved?

DON’T OPPRESS ME OR MY RELIGION!

Source: The Telegraph: Sikh teenager wins bangle discrimination case.

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