PARIS, Sep. 06, 2004
IANS

Faced with expulsion of almost all the Sikh students in Paris, the Sikh community of France has urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to intervene urgently in the issue.

Almost all the Sikh students were turned away from the gates of most of the French public schools when they reopened on Thursday after the summer break.

However, the mood in the community has become defiant and indeed hardened on the issue of their children being allowed to wear turbans or patkas (kind of skull cap) in public schools in France.

The Sikhs were caught off guard when their children were asked by teachers or principals of various schools to either remove their patkas or turbans or leave the school. The school authorities have been citing a new law that bans any religious sign to be worn openly in public-funded schools of the country.

Sikhs here cite Manmohan Singh's assurance last week, during a visit to the Golden Temple, that his government would take all the necessary measures to resolve this problem.

"India is a huge country and has a lot of clout in the world. If our prime minister insists on something, it will definitely have a lot of impact on the French government

"So, the prime minister should send a special envoy to Paris without any delay since the issue is extremely complex and the future of all our children is at stake," Kashmir Singh, a leader of the Sikh community in Paris, said.

"We really need to find a solution urgently; otherwise we could risk a situation where our children could be expelled from their schools and lose at least a year, a move that would have a serious impact on their future," says Chain Singh, another leader of the community.

"We were surprised as well as let down since we had been assured by the French authorities regularly over the past six months that an amicable and honourable solution would be found for Sikh students. However, now we find that our children's future is entirely uncertain and that we have been totally misled," says Gurdial Singh, one of the prominent Sikhs of Paris.

Gurdial Singh too has also had to see his 15-year-old son Bikramjeet Singh turned away from the school last week since he refused to take his turban down.

"There have been numerous such instances in the last few days and we know that our battle to keep our faith will be long and hard and that it has only just begun," says Kashmir Singh.

On Sunday, the Sikhs called an emergency meeting of the children and parents affected by the new law. At the meeting, the mood was predominantly defiant as most speakers not only emphasised the importance of a turban or a patka for a Sikh but also urged the Sikh community to adopt a common position that does not succumb under the tremendous pressure that the new law is bound to bring on them.

Even the children present at the meeting rejected any thoughts of compromising on the turban. "I will not give my turban even if I have to forgo the school for it," says Dharmavir Singh, a teenaged student of a school in Bobigny whose principal told him to look for another school

"Even if we lose a year doing this, at least it will resolve the problem for the Sikhs in this country once and for all. At least, I can be sure that my future generations will not have to fight this battle," says Bikramjeet Singh, another student.

The Sikhs say that they will organise protests, go to court and take any other peaceful action that will get their children back into the school and help the community establish its rightful presence in France.

"We will once again take to the streets to make our demands heard. All we want is the right to live honourably," says Chain Singh