With a view to assuage the feelings of Sikh-Americans who have been involved in rows with security personnel over possesion of kirpans, the US Department of Homeland Security and a Sikh outfit have reached an agreement to display posters of various ceremonial daggers at checkpoints across the country to assist screeners.
Under the agreement reached between the department and the Sikh-American Legal Defense and Education Fund, posters will be distributed to federal facilities across the country, showing photos of different kirpans -- ranging from a symbolic necklace some women wear to the more common 3-6 inch daggers, as well as full-on swords, The Washington Post reported on Tuesday.
In the last two years, Sikhs have been arrested, threatened with arrest or harassed in disputes with guards over the ceremonial kirpan.
The poster tells security workers how to navigate the situation: "Respectfully ask if a Sikh is carrying a kirpan. If so, request to inspect the kirpan," it reads.
"If a kirpan must be confiscated, explain the reason(s) why and handle the kirpan with respect and care."
"These articles are a constant reminder to me of what my duties are," Manjit Singh, co-founder and chairman of the legal fund, told The Post.
"For Sikh-Americans, this is a huge and significant accomplishment," Singh said of the poster, which also tells screeners to "show respect to all variations of faith."
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