Response to Anonymous Commentator on carrying the kirpan

Waheguru ji ka Khalsa
Waheguru ji ki Fateh

This is a response to the anonymous comment on my blog post about carrying the kirpan on campus.

I said I would humbly accept the accusation of hypocrite, and I will stay true to my word. But I do want to clarify some things.

I never said someone "can't" carry a firearm. I said I'm opposed to carrying firearms on campus because of the potential disaster when alcohol is involved. Yes, the same potential holds true for kirpans as well. But keep in mind that knives and daggers are already allowed on campus, as long as they're not concealed and not unnecessarily long. So if a woman is rightfully concerned about her safety, I encourage her to carry a knife. It really could save your life or well-being. I'm all for it.

As a matter of fact, I'm all for people carrying some type of non-lethal protection agent, such as a knife, mace or pepper spray. I don't like guns because of the vastly increased potential of death. But daggers, kirpans and knives are cool with me. Like my parents say: criminals are going to carry firearms whether they are illegal or not. The laws won't change that. It's better that good folk like us are able to protect ourselves, at least until humanity gets out of the dark ages.

I really don't like weapons at all. I think the widespread production and distribution of weapons in the world is a leading cause of violence and unrest. If I had it my way, there would be no weapons in the world. But I'm a realist and I'm all for personal freedom. With greater education, awareness, community building and tolerance in the world, the use of weapons will decrease over time. But we have a long way to get there.

Sikhism is by far the most progressive religion in the world. In our scriptures the equality of men and women is explicitly stated. I won't go into detail here, but I will say that the Sri Guru Granth Sahib (our living guru and holy book) is the only holy book in the world to explicitly state the equality of the sexes as well as all people. It's not a derived interpretation - it's explicitly stated countless times. For more info on this, please see my post entitled "FAQs about Sikhism" and read question nine.

I'm not sure why you did this, but something I noticed: you began saying that I oppose a woman carrying a gun but support myself carrying a kirpan. But I never stated it this way and I don't believe that at all. I stated I'm against ANYONE carrying a gun on campus, not just women. For crying out loud, I'm a radical feminist and social justice activist. I work to end violence against women as a livelihood. It's my life's work. If I actually did support people carrying guns on campus, women would be first on my list. Please read my post again for further clarification.

I know all too well the dangers women face in this society, considering I work in a violence prevention center and have had extensive training in feminist and social justice theory.

The Sikh I mentioned who was killed while wearing his turban after 9/11 was not a friend of mine. I did not know him. I said that I knew of a Sikh who was killed from an attack. But I've never met him. I don't feel a lot of anger - I didn't even know the guy. Any anger I feel is for the general plight of humankind, not for that one specific Sikh. I would appreciate it if you did not assume random things about me.

Again, I don't oppose you being armed. I am for the arming of all people - with anything less than a gun. I just don't like guns. Too much potential for widespread instantaneous deaths, not to mention when kids get a hold of them or someone forgets to turn on the safety. But with knives, a lot more force and will has to be taken to inflict any damage at all. It's a much safer alternative for protection.

Yes, I have been through counseling just like a lot of people. I think counseling is a good idea for any and everyone, not just for those who are unstable. I feel anyone considering carrying a weapon should undergo psychological and counseling sessions to determine their true state of mind. And now that I think about it, I would like to undergo some safety and usage training before carrying the kirpan anyway. Thanks for that reminder.

I never claimed to need self-defense. I didn't say that anywhere in my blog. My idea is that EVERYONE needs self-defense in this world, because there are people who will attack you regardless of how aware you are. And of course women need the most protection in this patriarchal, misogynistic society. Again, please carry a knife if you feel you need the protection against possible attack. I'm all for it. I promise I am.

Contrary to your statement, 1 in 12 men will be sexually assaulted by another male in their lifetime. So no, me being male doesn't automatically mean I won't be sexually assaulted. Of course, women are far more likely to be assaulted, but there are hundreds of thousands of male rape victims amongst us. Please do not minimize their experience. And just so you know, I was forced to do things sexually at a young age that still haunts me to this day. It has affected my behavior, decision-making skills and other areas of my life. So there, now you know not to make such a brash assumption next time.

I would say women are more likely to be assaulted by a male they know than someone for their religion. But again, it doesn't mean that people don't get assaulted. If you had read my other blog posts, you would get a feel for how widespread the assault on Sikhs and Muslims are in this society. Please do not minimize other experiences just because you're worried about your own.

I would also like to add this: keep in mind that 85% of all sexual assault survivors were attacked by someone they know - someone they are acquainted with. You are unlikely to feel you need a weapon when you're alone or at a party with a good friend of yours, or a family member or a co-worker. And yet, these are the people who are FAR more likely to attack you. That's why mace, pepper spray, guns and knives are actually not reliable protection against sexual assault - you aren't thinking about arming yourself when alone with your best guy friend, or your boyfriend. These types of weapons are more effective when dealing with attacks from strangers in public. Please think about this.

I have had extensive rape/sexual assault/intimate partner violence training here on campus. I've designed programs, given presentations, gone to conferences and read countless books and articles on the subject. I'm even in the process of designing an entirely new program for our campus to help bring the number of assaults down. So please trust me when I say that I know what I'm talking about.

The truth is that the people who are most likely to carry a kirpan are Sikhs. And Sikhs have already been trained to pursue social justice and equality as part of their religion (again, not a derived or interpreted statement, but explicitly stated in our Guru Granth Sahib). A Sikh is unlikely, when compared to non-Sikhs, to use the kirpan as an offensive weapon, or to attack women. Yes, there are bad apples in every orchard, but these bad apples don't reflect on the orchard, but rather on the state of humanity in general. I do understand that being a Sikh male doesn't automatically mean they won't attack someone (on the contrary, you'd be surprised by how many so-called "religious" men are doing some pretty awful things). But generally speaking, they are following a faith that explicitly preaches peace, social justice and equality.

If after reading this you still think I'm a hypocrite, then I guess there's no changing your mind. But at least I tried. Thanks again for your comment.