The visit of the French President, Mr.Sarkozy to India may be of some importance to the turban wearing Sikh community living in France. They expect that the Indian Prime minister, Dr.Manmohan Singh, himself a durban wearing Sikh, to take up the issue of turban wearing population in France and restore justice to them.
France passed a legislation in 2004 which banned the wearing of turbans in schools. It has also not issued passports, driving licenses and residence cards to Sikhs who refuse to remove the turban for ID Photos. Sikh children are not admitted in Government Schools unless or otherwise they are willing to fore sake their religious faith by not wearing turban of any kind. An estimated 6000 Sikhs live in France.
Under the European convention of Human Rights, France is allowed to deny anyone a right to manifest his/her faith for reasons of safety, security or health or if the the right of another person is undermined.
But according to leading personalities, the waring of turban neither contravenes any of the above nor constitute a threat to anybody. It is a black law and viewed from a broaderperspective is a violation of human right.
Ms.Kaur, who is spearheading a legal campaign against the law and Mr..M.S.Gill, former Chief Election Commissioner are two leading personalties who has taken up the cause on behalf of the Sikhs. They want Dr.Manmohan Singh to take up the issue and feel that he is the most appropriate person to do so because of the fact the he is a standing example of the fact that a Sikh never be separated from his turban. Not even once,according to them, Dr.Singh was seen without a turban. Mr,Gurdial Singh another personality residing in France has traveled down to India to take up this cause.
For the French President who is on a jet-setting visit to India where he would be staying hardly for 36 hours, will this issue matter? We have to wait for an answer.
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