Sikhism and Sports: The "Safety" Issue of the Patka

The Quebec Soccer Federation (QSF) recently lifted a ban preventing Sikh players from wearing religious headwear (such as the patka) during games. This was after the QSF was suspended from the Canadian Soccer Association (CSA) for not following its directive to allow male players to wear head scarves. Quebec was the only province or territory to not follow the CSA's directive. The QSF blamed a language barrier for the confusion, stating that they were only concerned for the players' safety when it came across as though they were starting a religious debate.

Local Vancouver area Indo-Canadian MP's spoke out about the ban before it was lifted. “Children and their families shouldn’t have to choose between their religion and playing organized sports,” said Conservative MP Nina Grewal.

In soccer, no other type of headgear (such as a helmet) is worn during play. This begs the question: what are the rules for sports that require a helmet, such as hockey or football? In 2008, a policy change was put into effect for hockey coaches teaching in the minor leagues in British Columbia. This change now allows coaches to wear religious headwear instead of a helmet when on ice. No indication that a similar policy change has been put into place for players and Internet searches have not revealed details of these rules.

History of Sikhs in British Columbia

           The first visit of Sikhs in British Columbia (BC) dates back to 1897, when they entered BC on an official trip as a part of the Hong Kong Army regiments to celebrate Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee. The second visit of Punjabi soldiers was in 1902, led by Sardar Major Kadir Khan Bahadur, to celebrate the coronation of King Edward VII. The warm welcome and hospitality they received from British Columbians is evident from the headline of a newspaper of that time which read: “Turbaned men excite interest: Awe inspiring men from India held the Crowds”. The first period of significant migration of Punjabis commenced from 1904-1908, when around 5000 Punjabi men arrived in Canada to begin their new lives. http://www.canadiansikhheritage.ca/en/node/9

            When looking at the history of the arrival of Sikhs in BC, the Komagata Maru incident of 1914 is the most striking when a boat, on a continuous journey, carrying 376 Indian passengers out of which 340 were Sikhs, 24 Muslims, and 12 Hindus was refused entry in BC. Deaths of many of these Sikh passengers resulted after living on the boat for months. Many of Sikhs who witnessed this tragedy became disheartened, thus resulting in relocation back to India in 1914.  Click on the link for an in-depth article on Komagata Maru incident. http://www.canadiansikhheritage.ca/en/node/10

         
   In 1905, the first Sikhs arrived in Fraser Valley, where they worked on farms and in forest industry. In a true community effort, the Sikhs started to build the first Sikh Temple under the auspices of Khalsa Diwan Society in 1908. It took them four years of physical and financial commitment to finish the construction of the Sikh Temple. Situated on South Fraser Way street in Abbotsford, this Sikh temple is not only the first ever temple to be built in North America, but also the longest standing. It was declared as a National Historic site by the Government of Canada on July 31, 2002. Once declared as a National Heritage site, it took nearly five years of effort to preserve, renovate, and modernize the structure of the Sikh Temple. http://www.canadiansikhheritage.ca/en/node/17

Did you know?????

Citizenship and Immigration Canada claims, “60 per cent residents in the Greater Vancouver area by the year 2031 will be non-whites”. Within the next few decades Sikhism will become the second biggest religion, reveals a study. 

Daniel Hiebert, an immigration expert from UBC, claims, “there is no European city with anything like this demographic structure nor will there be in 2031.”

http://newseastwest.com/sikhs-in-vancouver-to-become-second-biggest-religious-group-by-2031/

Welcome to Sikhism in Vancouver!

The purpose of this blog is to describe the current state and to investigate the future of Sikhism in Vancouver.
We are a group of open-minded BCIT religious explorers on a journey through Sikhism, past and present, and we will blog this adventure with you!