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A group of Sikhs whose trip to the European Parliament
was blighted by security issues still had a productive
visit to Brussels , according to a leading Labour
MEP.
Richard Corbett, MEP for Yorkshire and the Humber,
met a small group of Sikhs from Leeds and Halifax
after a much a larger contingent, visiting from
across Europe , were not cleared by security.
The problem arose when security insisted all the
Sikhs remove their small ceremonial swords, known
as a Kirpan, which the vast majority were not
willing to do.
Mr Corbett said: "It was deeply unfortunate
all the visiting Sikhs could not get into the
Parliament and it highlights some of the problems
certain religions face day in day out, due to
a lack of understanding".
"The Kirpan is more than just a traditional
part of their religion, it is a fundamental part
of being Sikh."
Despite the security issues Mr Corbett spent an
hour listening to the visiting group and offered
advice about how best to pursue some of their
concerns.
He continued: "It was an informative meeting,
covering the main areas of discrimination and
restrictions on religious freedoms experienced
by the Sikh community".
"I frequently receive letters from constituents
of all faiths expressing similar concerns, and
the EU plays a vital role in fighting intolerance
within Europe and in the wider world".
"MEPs play an important role in offering
advice on how constituents can effectively engage
with EU institutions and the Member States and
I think we all learned a lot from the meeting".
Jaspal Singh, from Halifax , was one of the Sikhs
who met with Richard and hoped that the visit
would help raise awareness of Sikhism across Europe
.
He said: "We were obviously hugely disappointed
with the problems we encountered at security and
this is exactly the sort of issue we wanted to
raise awareness about across Europe".
"We understand that people will have security
concerns about the sword and now after decades
of Sikhs living in Britain people understand it
poses no risk".
"We now want the UK to help other countries
reach the level of understanding that exists at
home so Sikhs can freely practice their faith,
where ever they choose to live or visit."
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