It goes without saying that you can’t take a knife or any sharp items into an Australian cricket ground but World Cup organisers have had to think a little outside the square to accommodate the many Sikh Cricket Fans in Australia.
To Sikhs the Kirpan is religiously symbolic of their spirituality and the constant struggle of good and morality over the forces of evil and injustice, both on a individual as well as social level. The usage of the Kirpan in this religious context is clearly indicated in the Sikh holy scriptures (Sri Guru Granth Sahib) and wearing it is ment to inspire a Sikh in their daily life; To suggest that it is a `dagger’, or a `weapon’ or merely a cultural symbol is both misleading and offensive to Sikhs. But because of obvious entry requirements at the Australian venues there were rumors of not allowing to carry kirpan in at Sunday’s Group B showdown between India and South Africa at the MCG.
There were texts and messages sent around to the Sikh community that organisers are holding the kirpans for spectators with the assistance of police and giving them back after the games. “We’re working with the Sikh community to encourage them not to bring kirpans to stadiums,” a World Cup 2015 spokesman said. “We have facilities in place to allow for cloaking of the kirpans if necessary and we’re working with various authorities and community leaders to educate on this.”
The Sikh community was really upset over these provisions and were not ready to take off their kirpan at the cost of watching a mere Cricket match.
However eventually another big day of Cricket passed away peacefully. According to Sikh spectators, they were not even asked about the Kirpan at the front door so there was no question to remove it or even consider to remove it.
Even though the issue has gone away, Sikh Community in Australia is still concerned and looking forward for further insights about the decision and suggestion makers into this issue, as it looks to be more coming from insiders rather than outsiders.