Religious privilege: The decision by a Washington public school district to allow a Sikh student to carry a ceremonial dagger or knife known as a kirpan while attending class is generating a great deal of controversy.

The kirpan is a ceremonial sword or dagger carried by practicing Sikhs. It is considered to be an instrument of social justice, and integral to their faith.

In attempting to justify the controversial decision to allow an elementary school student to carry a weapon while attending class, Auburn School District administrators cite state and federal guidelines that allow certain exceptions to Washington’s “zero tolerance” for weapons policy.

District administrators claim other Sikhs, both students and staff, have carried Kirpans to school in the past without incident. However, many object to the special treatment which ultimately allows a minor to carry a weapon on public school grounds, something that clearly violates the otherwise strictly enforced “zero tolerance” for weapons policy.

A religious commandment given in 1699 by Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth of the ten Sikh Gurus, commands all baptized Sikhs to wear five articles of faith at all times, the kirpan being one of the five articles.

Attempting to ease the concerns of parents and others, Auburn Assistant Superintendent of Schools Ryan Foster explains that the knife is to be kept under the child’s clothes at all times:

“The knife can’t come out. It can’t be shown around. It needs to be underneath their clothing. That allows them to express their religion without jeopardizing anyone’s feeling of safety. If there are any problems, we will take it to the family, but we don’t expect any.”

However, many are not reassured by the fact that the weapon will be concealed. After all, a concealed weapon is just as dangerous as an unconcealed weapon.

While some freethinkers favor the decision to allow the student to carry the kirpan, many others object on principle. For many, religious superstition is never a valid justification for violating a sensible safety precaution such as a “zero tolerance” for weapons at public schools.