«« Intégration et religion

Let kirpan case lie

Éditorial - The lawyers and administrators at the Commission Scolaire Marguerite Bourgeoys just don't get it. The school board, which covers the western part of Montreal Island, is appealing a Superior Court ruling that permitted young Gurbaj Singh Multani to carry his ceremonial dagger (called a kirpan) at school, as long as he kept it sheathed and concealed.

The board members, of course, have every right to appeal, and if they fear for the safety of Gurbaj's fellow students, they're morally obliged to do so. But, in fact, they have no reason to feel that way. Justice Danielle Grenier's original ruling responded to all legitimate concerns about safety. It wrapped Gurbaj's 10-centimetre, blunted knife in so many safeguards that it would be useless in a schoolyard brawl.

And the kirpan, even when it's not sheathed in wood and sewn into a piece of cloth as Gurbaj's must be, is less dangerous than a letter opener or a pair of scissors.

But if safety is not the issue, what is? The school board's lawyer, François Aquin, pretty much made it clear in comments to the media that the kirpan's symbolism is as objectionable to the board as its danger. ''Such symbolism,'' he said, ''sends a negative and prejudicial message to students, native-born and newcomer alike, when on the contrary they must be taught that, living under the rule of law, they are equal before the law here and have no need to resort to force to defend their rights.''

This is such a compendium of error and condescension, it's difficult to know where to start. For example, Mr. Aquin's suggestion that the rule of law might be a new concept for Sikhs is downright insulting. Their faith has its origins in India, a country ruled by the same parliamentary tradition as our own. And as to equality, Guru Nanak Dev Ji, the 15th-century sage who founded Sikhism, was a pioneer of egalitarianism and religious tolerance.

Even more disturbing is Mr. Aquin's self-serving peroration on the meaning of the kirpan as a weapon of force. Not many symbols, it seems, would survive his analysis. The cross, for example, that millions of Christians mount on their churches and wear around their necks was originally an implement of torture and execution - the Roman equivalent of the electric chair. St. Paul himself described it as a ''stumbling block'' and ''foolishness'' to unbelievers.

Faith, however, has transformed it into a symbol of hope and redemption, much as the Sikhs' faith has transformed a weapon into a symbol of the constant struggle of good and morality over the forces of evil and injustice.

Mr. Aquin's ignorant condescension is far more prejudicial than a whole basketload of kirpans. It's time the school board let this case go and left Gurbaj and his fellow believers alone.