Dastar
A dastār which derives from dast-e-yaar or "the hand of God", is an item of headwear associated with Sikhism and is an important part of the Sikh culture. The word is loaned from Persian through Punjabi. In Persian, dastar can mean any kind of turban and replaced the original word for turban, dolband, from which the English word is derived.
Among the Sikhs, the dastaar is an article of faith that represents honour, self-respect, courage, spirituality, and piety. The Khalsa Sikh men and women, who keep the Five Ks, wear the turban to cover their long, uncut hair. The Sikhs regard the dastaar as an important part of the unique Sikh identity.
Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of Sikhism was born into a Hindu family. However, Nanak did not believe in the Hindu practices of the time and sought to re-teach the original teachings of Hinduism according to the Vedas, which believes in one omnipresent and omnipotent creator Ekongkar and the universal brotherhood of man. He emphasized a philosophy of love for spiritual existence juxtaposed with ordinary living, laying emphasis on 'earning a livelihood by the sweat of your brow'. The ninth Sikh Guru, Tegh Bahadur, was sentenced to death by the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh Guru created the Khalsa in order to protect the weak and downtrodden and gave five articles of faith, one of which is unshorn hair and the Dastar helps keep it tidy.
History
The dastaar has been an important part of the Sikh religion since the time of the First Guru. Guru Nanak Dev ji honoured Guru Amar Das with a special dastaar when he was declared the next Guru. When Guru Ram Das died, Guru Arjun Dev was honoured with the dastaar of Guruship.Guru Gobind Singh, the last human Sikh Guru, wrote:
Bhai Rattan Singh Bhangu, one of the earliest Sikh historians, wrote in Sri Gur Panth Parkash:
Significance
In the Khalsa society, the turban signifies many virtues:; Spirituality
; Honour and self-respect
; Piety and moral values
; Courage
; Friendship and relationship
; Sayings
There are many Punjabi idioms and proverbs that describe how important is a dastaar in one's life. Bhai Gurdas writes:
Uniform of Sikhism
The Dastaar is considered an integral part of the unique Sikh identity. The bare head is not considered appropriate as per gurbani. If a Sikh wants to become one with his/her guru, he/she must look like a guru. Guru Gobind Singh stated:Maintaining long hair and tying the dastaar is seen as a token of love, obedience of the wishes of Sikh gurus, and acceptance to the Will of God. A quote from Sikhnet:
Styles of dastaars
; Men's Double Patti; Chand Tora
; Amritsar Dhamala
; Basic Dhamala
; General Sikh Dastaar
;Keski
;Patiala Shahi turban :Nowadays this type of dastar is widely famous in boys. This type of dastar was first tied by Patiala King Bhupinder Singh. From his name the name of this type is originated 'Patiala Shahi'.
;Morni Pagg
These are the basic Sikh Pugaree types. Turban theory states that the main pugaree types are starting points, and anyone can invent their own Dastaar styles.
;Kenyan or UK style turban
In May 2009, The Times of India reported that British researchers were trying to make a "bulletproof turban" that would allow the Sikhs in the British police to serve in firearms units.
Harassment faced by turban-wearing Sikhs
After the September 11, 2001, attacks in USA, a number of dastaar-wearing Sikhs faced assaults by some Americans who confused them with Muslims, who were being associated with terrorism.. Due to Sikh Turbans resembling turban that Osama Bin Laden wore in his most iconic photo, United States Department of Justice worked with the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund to issue a poster aimed at getting Americans acquainted with Sikh turbans.Conflicts with civil law
In modern times, there have been conflicts between Sikhs - especially those outside India - and laws which conflict with always wearing a dastaar.Sikh soldiers refused to wear helmets during World War I and World War II. Many Sikhs have refused to remove the dastaar even in jails. Sikh scholar and social activist Bhai Randhir Singh underwent a fast to be able to wear a dastaar in prison.
In the UK in 1982, the headmaster of a private school refused to admit an orthodox Sikh as a pupil unless he removed the dastaar and cut his hair. This led to the long legal battle, Mandla v. Dowell Lee, a case which contributed to the creation of the legal term "ethno-religious".
In Canada in 1990, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that Baltej Singh Dhillon, an Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer, should be allowed to wear a dastaar while on duty. See the case of Grant v. Canada A.G 125 D.L.R. 556 aff'd 81 F.T.R. 195 where the court said that the Sikh RCMP officer had a constitutional right to wear his Dastaar and that the government’s decision to accommodate him was required to protect freedom of religion:
"The defendants and the intervenors, particularly the able argument of Ms. Chotalia for the Alberta Civil Liberties Association, turn the plaintiffs' argument respecting discrimination on its head. They argue that the Commissioner's decision was designed to prevent discrimination occurring to Khalsa Sikhs. As such they argue that that decision offends none of the provisions of the Charter, indeed that it is required by section 15 of the Charter." para 103
Shirish Chotalia, Alberta lawyer, represented the Sikh Society of Calgary, the Alberta Civil Liberties Association, and the Friends of the Sikhs, pro bono.
In the United States in 2002, Jasjit Singh Jaggi, a Sikh traffic policeman employed with the New York Police Department, was forced to leave his job because he insisted on wearing a dastaar on duty. He petitioned with the New York Human Rights Commission, and in 2004 a US judge ruled that he should be reinstated.
In France in 2004, the Sikh community protested against the introduction of a law prohibiting the display of any religious symbols in state-run schools. The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee urged the French Government to review the bill, stating that the ban would have grave consequences for the Sikhs. The Government of India discussed the matter with the French officials, who stated that an exception for turbaned Sikh boys in French public schools was not possible.
In 2007, the Canadian government introduced new procedures for accommodation of Sikhs in regard to passport photos, driver licensing, and other legal licensing. This bill was also supported by the Sikh Council of Canada.
In April 2009, Capt. Kamaljit Singh Kalsi and 2nd Lt. Tejdeep Singh Rattan challenged a U.S. Army order that they remove their turbans and shave their beards. In March 2010, Rattan became the first Sikh to graduate Army Officer School at Fort Sam Houston since the exemption was eliminated in 1984; a waiver was granted for his religion. Kalsi will also attend basic training.
In Ireland, Ravinder Singh Oberoi applied to become a member of the voluntary police force Garda Reserve but was not permitted to wear a dastaar. He unsuccessfully claimed discrimination on grounds of race and religion; the High Court ruled in 2013 on a preliminary issue that he could not claim under employment equality legislation as he was not an employee and was not in vocational training.
Instances of acceptance
In 2012 British media reported that a Guardsman of the Scots Guards Jatinderpal Singh Bhullar became the first Sikh to guard Buckingham Palace wearing a dastaar instead of the traditional bearskin.Sikh members of the Canadian Armed Forces are permitted to wear the dastaar on all orders of dress within the forces, although the unit commander retains the right to order for adjustments should a conflict arise with operational safety. The colour of the dastaar for Sikh service members within the Canadian Army, and the Royal Canadian Air Force are required to match the colours of their unit's headgear. Sikhs serving within the Royal Canadian Navy are required to wear a white dastaar when peaked caps are worn, and a black dastaar when berets are worn. The unit's cap badge must also be worn on the dastaar. Additionally, some units in the Canadian Armed Forces add a ribbon matching their regimental colours, worn crossed behind the cap badge and tucked in at the back.
Helmet exemption
In several parts of the world, Sikh riders are exempted from legal requirements to wear a helmet when riding a motorcycle or a bicycle, which cannot be done without removing the dastaar. These places include India, Nepal and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario and Manitoba. Other places include Malaysia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, and the United Kingdom. In Queensland, Australia, riders of bicycles and mobility scooters are exempt from wearing an approved helmet, but not motorcyclists.In 2008, Baljinder Badesha, a Sikh man living in Brampton, Ontario, Canada, lost a court case in which he challenged a $110 ticket received for wearing a dastaar instead of a helmet while riding his motorcycle.
In September 2016 a court in Quebec, Canada, ruled that Sikh truck drivers working at the Port of Montreal must wear hard hats when required for safety reasons, effectively requiring them to remove their dastaar. The judge stated that their safety outweighed their religious freedom. Previously Sikh drivers were able to avoid wearing hard hats if they remained within their vehicle, but this increased the loading times and was not commercially acceptable.