“If Australia were a Christian country, then we could have spoken about having a uniform law. But if you look around at any level of government, you’ll see this country takes pride in using phrases like ‘multiculturalism’, ‘diversity’ and ‘social cohesion’. This is because the government doesn’t want anyone to let go of our cultural background,” says Amar Singh, president of Turbans4Australia, a non-profit organisation that spreads awareness about the Sikh turban.
Mr Singh has been prominently featured in Australia’s national media over the weekend, advocating his stance on Sikhs vis-à-vis the traffic helmet and hard hat for specific sites.
This debate began when Mr Singh’s views were sought by a major daily newspaper on the religious discrimination bill expected to be tabled by the federal government in parliament next month.
Mr Singh wants the Australian government to give the Sikhs a special exemption to ride light motorbikes without wearing a traffic helmet. In saying that, how does he view equality of the law and drivers’ safety?
Members of Sikh Motorcycle Club Australia Source: Supplied
“If a truck rams into a car, the driver die in an accident. Surfers end up in shark attacks. So do we stop these activities? Every activity has a calculated risk. In this case, it’s matter of identity. Do we want to lose it,” questions Mr Singh.
He elaborates how Sikhs in Britain and New Zealand are exempt from wearing a traffic helmet.
“New Zealand lets you wear a helmet while riding a motorbike within a speed limit of 50 km/hour. Australia’s laws have been inherited from Britain but in this case, we don’t follow their lead of exempting Sikhs from the helmet,” rues Mr Singh, as he also explains how his advocacy goes beyond just traffic helmets.
“We’ve seen how young Sikh students have been denied admission in schools because of their turban or patka (a simpler version of the turban worn by young Sikh boys). I know many Sikhs who were denied job opportunities because of their turban. Turbans4Australia has long been advocating for equality for Sikhs in all walks of life in Australia,” Mr Singh says.
“In some specific sites like construction sites, I know from my experience in the transport industry for over 15 years, that wearing a hard hat is mandatory. But a hard hat doesn’t fit over our turban and we can’t casually take off our turbans to put a hat on. It takes about half an hour to tie a turban,” Mr Singh explains.
Click on the player at the top of the page to listen to this interview in Punjabi.
