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{{Infobox weapon
| name = Kirpan<br>ਕਿਰਪਾਨ
| image = File:Kirpan and kara.jpg
| image_size =
| caption = A Sikh wearing a kirpan (waist) and kara (wrist)
| origin = [[Punjab region]], [[Medieval India]]
| type = knife
| is_ranged =
| is_bladed = yes
| spec_label =
| weight =
| length = Variable
| part_length =
| width =
| height =
| diameter =
| crew =
| blade_type =
| hilt_type =
| sheath_type =
| head_type =
| haft_type =
}}

{{Sikhism sidebar}}
The '''kirpan''' is a curved, single-edged dagger or knife carried by [[Sikhs]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/sikhism/customs/fiveks.shtml|title=BBC - Religions - Sikhism: The Five Ks|access-date=8 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170928113912/http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/sikhism/customs/fiveks.shtml|archive-date=28 September 2017|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=Sukhmandir>{{cite web |title=Kirpan - kakar - Sikh ceremonial short sword |first=Sukhmandir |last=Khalsa |url=http://sikhism.about.com/od/glossary/g/Kirpan.htm |work=About.com |access-date=18 March 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150405150009/http://sikhism.about.com/od/glossary/g/Kirpan.htm |archive-date=5 April 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref> Traditionally, it was a full-sized sword but modern Sikhs have reduced the length to that of a dagger or knife due to modern considerations based on societal and legal changes since then.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Nishan Sahib Khanda Sikh Symbols Sikh Museum History Heritage Sikhs |url=http://www.sikhmuseum.com/nishan/weapons/kirpan.html |access-date=2022-08-17 |website=www.sikhmuseum.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Singh |first=Harbans |title=The Encyclopaedia of Sikhism |publisher=Patiala Punjabi University |year=1995 |edition=2nd}}</ref> It is part of a religious commandment given by [[Guru Gobind Singh]] in 1699, in which he gave an option to the Sikhs, if they accepted they must wear [[The Five Ks|the five articles of faith]] (the five Ks) at all times, the kirpan being one of five Ks.<ref name="Singha 2000">{{cite book|last=Singha|first=H.S.|title=The encyclopedia of Sikhism |year=2000 |publisher=Hemkunt Publishers|location=New Delhi |isbn=81-7010-301-0 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=gqIbJz7vMn0C&q=Kirpan&pg=PA127}}</ref><ref name="guardian.co.uk">{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2010/feb/09/dagger-dilemma-sikhism-kirpan-schools |newspaper=The guardian |title=Mightier than the kirpan - I find it hard to justify knives being allowed in schools |location=London |date=9 February 2010 |access-date=12 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170404034848/https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2010/feb/09/dagger-dilemma-sikhism-kirpan-schools |archive-date=4 April 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref>

The Punjabi word ਕਿਰਪਾਨ, kirpān, has a folk etymology with two roots: ''kirpa'', meaning "mercy", "grace", "compassion" or "kindness"; and ''aanaa'', meaning "honor", "grace" or "dignity". It is derived from or related to [[Sanskrit]] कृपाण (kṛpaṇa, “sword, dagger, sacrificial knife”), ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European stem [[wiktionary:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/kerp-|*kerp]]-, from *(s)ker, meaning "to cut".

Sikhs are expected to embody the qualities of a ''[[Sant Sipahi]]'' or "saint-soldier", showing no fear on the battlefield and treating defeated enemies humanely. The [[Guru Granth Sahib|Bhagat]] further defines the qualities of a ''sant sipahi'' as one who is "truly brave...who fights for the deprived".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sikhphilosophy.net/threads/the-sant-sipahi-tradition-flows-from-guru-nanak-himself.36543/|title=The Sikh War Code, its Spiritual Inspiration and Impact on History |access-date=4 October 2020 }}</ref>

Kirpans are curved and have a single cutting edge that should be sharp.<ref name=Sukhmandir/> They vary in size and a Sikh who has undergone the [[Amrit Sanskar]] ceremony of initiation may carry more than one; the Kirpans must be made of steel or iron.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.worldsikh.org/what_is_the_kirpan |title=What is the kirpan? |newspaper=World Sikh Organization of Canada |access-date=18 March 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402114654/http://www.worldsikh.org/what_is_the_kirpan |archive-date=2 April 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref>

==History==
[[Sikhism]] was founded in the 15th century in the [[Punjab region]] of [[medieval India]]. At the time of its founding, this [[History of Punjab|culturally rich region]] was governed by the [[Mughal Empire]]. During the time of the founder of the Sikh faith and its first guru, [[Guru Nanak]], Sikhism flourished as a counter to both the prevalent Hindu and Muslim teachings. The Mughal emperor [[Akbar]] focused on religious tolerance. His relationship with Sikh Gurus was cordial.<ref name="books.google.com">{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P-AXAQAAIAAJ&q=akbar+nanak&pg=PA475 | title=Search for terms "nanak akbar" | access-date=24 April 2013 | year=1919}}</ref>

The relationship between the Sikhs and Akbar's successor [[Jehangir]] was not friendly. Later Mughal rulers reinstated shari'a traditions of [[jizya]], a poll tax on non-Muslims. The [[Guru Arjan Dev]], the fifth guru, refused to remove references to Muslim and Hindu teachings in the Adi Granth and was [[Guru Arjan#Death|summoned and executed]].<ref name="bbc.co.uk">{{cite web | url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/sikhism/people/arjandev.shtml | title=Execution of Guru Arjun Dev Ji | access-date=24 April 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130705040232/http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/sikhism/people/arjandev.shtml | archive-date=5 July 2013 | url-status=live}}</ref>

This incident is seen as a turning point in Sikh history,{{Citation needed|date=April 2022}} leading to the first instance of militarization of Sikhs under Guru Arjun's son [[Guru Hargobind]]. Guru Arjan Dev explained to the five Sikhs who accompanied him to Lahore, that Guru Hargobind has to build a defensive army to protect the people. Guru Hargobind trained in [[Shastar Vidya|shashtar vidya]], a form of martial arts that became prevalent among the Sikhs. He first conceptualized the idea of the kirpan through the notion of [[Sant Sipahi]], or "saint soldiers".

The relationship between the Sikhs and the Mughals further deteriorated following the execution of the ninth [[Guru Tegh Bahadur]] by [[Aurengzeb]], who was highly intolerant of Sikhs, partially driven by his desire to [[Aurangzeb#Establishment of Islamic law|impose Islamic law]]. Following the executions of their leaders and facing increasing persecution, the Sikhs officially adopted militarization for self-protection by creating later on the [[Khalsa]]; the executions also prompted formalization of various aspects of the Sikh faith. The tenth and final guru, [[Guru Gobind Singh]] formally included the kirpan as a mandatory article of faith for all baptised Sikhs,<ref name="amritsar.com">{{cite web | url=http://www.amritsar.com/The%20Five%20K.shtml | title=The 5 K's | access-date=24 April 2013 | archive-url=https://archive.today/20120722014942/http://www.amritsar.com/The%20Five%20K.shtml | archive-date=22 July 2012 | url-status=live}}</ref> making it a duty for Sikhs to be able to defend the needy, suppressed ones, to defend righteousness and the freedom of expression.

==Legality==
In modern times there has been debate about allowing Sikhs to carry a kirpan that falls under prohibitions on bladed weapons, with some countries allowing Sikhs a dispensation.

Other issues not strictly of legality arise, such as whether to allow carrying of kirpans on commercial aircraft or into areas where security is enforced.

===Belgium===
On 12 October 2009, the [[Antwerp]] [[Court of appeal (Belgium)|court of appeal]] declared carrying a kirpan a religious symbol, overturning a [[€]]550 fine from a lower court for "carrying a freely accessible weapon without demonstrating a legitimate reason".<ref name="Sikhs mogen dolk dragen">{{cite web|title=Sikhs mogen dolk dragen|publisher=Gazet van Antwerpen|year=2009|access-date=7 March 2010|url=http://www.gva.be/nieuws/binnenland/aid870081/sikhs-mogen-dolk-dragen-3.aspx|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091015043548/http://www.gva.be/nieuws/binnenland/aid870081/sikhs-mogen-dolk-dragen-3.aspx|archive-date=15 October 2009|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Canada===
In most public places in Canada a kirpan is allowed, although there have been some court cases regarding carrying on school premises. In the 2006 [[Supreme Court of Canada]] decision of ''[[Multani v. Commission scolaire Marguerite‑Bourgeoys]]'' the court held that the banning of the kirpan in a school environment offended Canada's [[Charter of Rights and Freedoms]], and that the restriction could not be upheld under s. 1 of the Charter, as per ''[[R. v. Oakes]]''. The issue started when a 12-year-old schoolboy dropped a 20 cm (8-inch) long kirpan in school. School staff and parents were very concerned, and the student was required to attend school under police supervision until the court decision<ref name="scc.lexum.umontreal.ca">{{cite web |url=http://scc.lexum.umontreal.ca/en/bulletin/2006/06-03-03.bul.wpd/06-03-03.bul.wpd.html |title=Bulletin of March 3, 2006 |3 March 2006 |publisher=Supreme Court of Canada / Cour Suprême du Canada |language=fr }}{{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> was reached. A student is allowed to have a kirpan on his person if it is sealed and secured.<ref name="cdn-hr-reporter.ca">{{cite web|url=http://www.cdn-hr-reporter.ca/hr_topics/religion-and-creed/barring-kirpan-violates-freedom-religion|title=Barring Kirpan Violates Freedom of Religion|work=The Canadian Human Rights Reporter Inc. (CHRR)|access-date=31 August 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130929015835/http://www.cdn-hr-reporter.ca/hr_topics/religion-and-creed/barring-kirpan-violates-freedom-religion|archive-date=29 September 2013|url-status=live}}</ref>

In September 2008, Montreal police announced that a 13-year-old student was to be charged after he allegedly threatened another student with his kirpan. The court found the student not guilty of assault with the kirpan, but guilty of threatening his schoolmates, and he was granted an absolute discharge on 15 April 2009.<ref name="CBC News">{{cite news|title=Sikh boy guilty of assault with hairpin|publisher=CBC News|access-date=10 February 2011|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/sikh-boy-guilty-of-assault-with-hairpin-1.855227|date=15 April 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110216020327/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/sikh-boy-guilty-of-assault-with-hairpin-1.855227|archive-date=16 February 2011|url-status=live}}</ref>

On 9 February 2011, the [[National Assembly of Quebec]] unanimously voted to ban kirpans from the [[Parliament Buildings (Quebec)|provincial parliament buildings]].<ref name="cyberpresse.ca">{{cite news | url=http://www.cyberpresse.ca/actualites/quebec-canada/politique-quebecoise/201102/09/01-4368677-le-port-du-kirpan-rejete-a-lunanimite-au-parlement.php | title=Le port du kirpan rejeté à l'unanimité au parlement | access-date=10 February 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110211223241/http://www.cyberpresse.ca/actualites/quebec-canada/politique-quebecoise/201102/09/01-4368677-le-port-du-kirpan-rejete-a-lunanimite-au-parlement.php | archive-date=11 February 2011 | url-status=live}}</ref> However, despite opposition from the [[Bloc Québécois]], it was voted that the kirpan be allowed in [[Parliament Hill|federal parliamentary buildings]].<ref name="Taber">{{cite news|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/ottawa-notebook/parliament-to-accept-and-embrace-wearing-of-kirpan-sergeant-at-arms-explains/article2045522/|title=Kirpans allowed in House of Commons|access-date=4 June 2011|location=Toronto|work=The Globe and Mail|first=Jane|last=Taber|date=2 June 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606125734/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/ottawa-notebook/parliament-to-accept-and-embrace-wearing-of-kirpan-sergeant-at-arms-explains/article2045522/|archive-date=6 June 2011|url-status=live}}</ref>

As of 27 November 2017, [[Transport Canada]] has updated its Prohibited Items list to allow Sikhs to wear kirpans smaller than 6 cm in length on all domestic and international flights (except to USA).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/as-it-happens-tuesday-edition-1.4391247/world-sikh-organization-welcomes-canadian-decision-to-allow-small-kirpans-on-flights-1.4391256|title=World Sikh Organization welcomes Canadian decision to allow small kirpans on flights|date=10 November 2017|website=CBC|language=en|access-date=2019-01-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180701232406/http://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/as-it-happens-tuesday-edition-1.4391247/world-sikh-organization-welcomes-canadian-decision-to-allow-small-kirpans-on-flights-1.4391256|archive-date=1 July 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Denmark===
On 24 October 2006, the Eastern High Court of Denmark upheld the earlier ruling of the Copenhagen City Court that the wearing of a kirpan by a Sikh was illegal, becoming the first country in the world to pass such a ruling. Ripudaman Singh, who now works as a scientist, was earlier convicted by the City Court of breaking the law by publicly carrying a knife. He was sentenced to a 3,000 kroner fine or six days' imprisonment. Though the High Court quashed this sentence, it held that the carrying of a kirpan by a Sikh broke the law. The judge stated that "after all the information about the accused, the reason for the accused to possess a knife and the other circumstances of the case, such exceptional extenuating circumstances are found, that the punishment should be dropped, cf. Penal Code § 83, 2nd period."

Danish law allows carrying of knives (longer than 6 centimeters and non-foldable) in public places if it is for any purpose recognized as valid, including work-related, recreation, etc. The High Court did not find religion to be a valid reason for carrying a knife. It stated that "for these reasons, as stated by the City Court, it is agreed that the circumstance of the accused carrying the knife as a Sikh, cannot be regarded as a similarly recognisable purpose, included in the decision for the exceptions in weapon law § 4, par. 1, 1st period, second part."<ref>Conviction number U 2007.316 Ø in weekly justice.</ref>

===India===
[[File:No weapons but kirpans.jpg|thumb|alt=Sign reading "No weapons are allowed inside the bank except for kripans by Sikhs." "Kirpans" is misspelled as "kripans".|Sign at a bank in [[Bangalore]] prohibiting all weapons except kirpans.]]
Sikhism originated in [[India]] during the [[Mughal empire|Mughal era]] and a majority of the [[Sikhism by country|Sikh population]] lives in present-day India, where they [[Demographics of India#Religious demographics|form around 2% of its population]].

Article 25 of the [[Indian Constitution]] deems the carrying of a kirpan by Sikhs to be included in the profession of the Sikh religion and not illegal.<ref name="English Language Version of the Indian Constitution">{{Cite web |url=http://lawmin.nic.in/legislative/Art1-242%20(1-88).doc |title=Archived copy |access-date=24 November 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090205135612/http://lawmin.nic.in/legislative/Art1-242%20(1-88).doc |archive-date=5 February 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Sikhs are allowed to carry the kirpan on board domestic flights in India.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2008/06/sikhs_can_carry.html|title=Sikhs Can Carry Knives on Airplanes in India - Schneier on Security|website=schneier.com|access-date=19 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180119235054/https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2008/06/sikhs_can_carry.html|archive-date=19 January 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Italy===

In 2015 an [[amritdhari]] Sikh was fined in the [[Lombardy|Lombard]] town of [[Goito]], in [[Province of Mantua|Mantua province]] for carrying a kirpan. In 2017 Italy's higher appeal court, the [[Supreme Court of Cassation (Italy)|Corte di Cassazione]] upheld the fine.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://gazzettadimantova.gelocal.it/mantova/cronaca/2017/05/15/news/la-cassazione-i-migranti-devono-rispettare-i-nostri-valori-1.15342013|title=La Cassazione: I migranti devono rispettare i nostri valori, resta la condanna al sikh di Goito|date=15 May 2022}}</ref> Media reports have interpreted the sentence as instituting a generalized ban on the kirpan.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-39928912|title = Italian court upholds ban on Sikhs carrying knives|work = BBC News|date = 15 May 2022}}</ref> [[Amritsar]] [[Lok Sabha]] MP [[Gurjeet Singh Aujla|Gurjeet Singh Aulja]] met with Italian diplomats and was assured no generalized ban on kirpans is operative, and that the case had only specific relevance to a singular instance and carried no general applicability.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chandigarh/kirpan-ban-not-for-the-community/articleshow/58830986.cms|title = 'Kirpan ban not for the community' | Chandigarh News - Times of India|website = [[The Times of India]]}}</ref>

===Sweden===
Swedish law has a ban on "street weapons" in public places that includes knives unless used for recreation (for instance fishing) or profession (for instance a carpenter). Carrying some smaller knives, typically folding pocket knives, is allowed, so that smaller kirpans may be within the law.<ref name="dn.se">{{cite web|url=http://www.dn.se/DNet/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=147&a=21666 |title=Dagens Nyheter: Sikh får bära dolk i skolan |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930235808/http://www.dn.se/DNet/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=147&a=21666 |archive-date=30 September 2007 }}</ref><ref name="do.se">{{cite web |url=http://do.se/o.o.i.s/1627 |title=Ombudsmannen mot etnisk diskriminering |access-date=18 June 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928082022/http://do.se/o.o.i.s/1627 |archive-date=28 September 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

===United Kingdom===
====England and Wales====
As a bladed article, possession of a kirpan without valid reason in a public place would be illegal under section 139 of the [[Criminal Justice Act]] 1988.<ref name="S139">{{cite web|url=http://www.statutelaw.gov.uk/content.aspx?parentActiveTextDocId=2116646&ActiveTextDocId=2116820|title=Criminal Justice Act 1988|website=statutelaw.gov.uk}}</ref> However, there is a specific defence for a person charged to prove that he carries it for "religious reasons".<ref name="S139"/> There is an identical defence to the similar offence (section 139A) which relates to carrying bladed articles on school grounds.<ref name="statutelaw.gov.uk">{{cite web |url=http://www.statutelaw.gov.uk/content.aspx?parentActiveTextDocId=2116646&ActiveTextDocId=2116821 |title=Section 139A Criminal Justice Act 1988 |publisher=statutelaw.gov.uk}}</ref> The official list of prohibited items at the London [[2012 Summer Olympics]] venues prohibited all kinds of weapons, but explicitly allowed the kirpan.<ref name="london2012.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.london2012.com/mm/Document/Documents/General/01/25/44/06/Prohibitedandrestricteditemslists_Neutral.pdf|title=Official Reports, Studies, Publications - Downloads - Olympic.org|work=london2012.com|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120818030601/http://www.london2012.com/mm/Document/Documents/General/01/25/44/06/Prohibitedandrestricteditemslists_Neutral.pdf|archive-date=18 August 2022}}</ref>

====Scotland====
Similar provisions exist in Scots law with section 49 of the [[Criminal Law (Consolidation) (Scotland) Act 1995]] making it an offence to possess a bladed or pointed article in a public place. A defence exists under s.49(5)(b) of the act for pointed or bladed articles carried for religious reasons. Section 49A of the same act creates the offence of possessing a bladed or pointed article in a school, with s.49A(4)(c) again creating a defence when the article is carried for religious reasons.

===United States===
In 1994, the [[Ninth Circuit]] held that Sikh students in public school have a right to wear the kirpan.<ref>[http://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F3/36/1102/562950 Rajinder Singh Cheema, et al., Plaintiffs-appellants, v. Harold H. Thompson, et al., Defendants-appellees] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180120124222/https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F3/36/1102/562950/ |date=20 January 2018 }}, 36 F.3d 1102 (9th Cir. 1994)/</ref> State courts in [[New York (state)|New York]] and [[Ohio]] have ruled in favor of Sikhs who faced the rare situation of prosecution under anti-weapons statutes for wearing kirpans, "because of the kirpan's religious nature and Sikhs' benign intent in wearing them."<ref>{{cite web|publisher=Sikh Coalition|date=30 January 2007|url=http://www.sikhcoalition.org/documents/pdf/kirpan-factsheet-oct2014.pdf|title=Sikhism and the Sikh Kirpan Fact Sheet|access-date=12 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117020449/http://www.sikhcoalition.org/documents/pdf/kirpan-factsheet-oct2014.pdf|archive-date=17 November 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> In New York City, a compromise was reached with the Board of Education whereby the wearing of the knives was allowed so long as they were secured within the sheaths with adhesives and made impossible to draw. The tightening of air travel security in the twenty-first century has caused problems for Sikhs carrying kirpans at airports and other checkpoints.<ref name="The Times of India">{{cite news|title=Kirpan Posters Come to Sikhs' Help in US|date=22 November 2006|access-date=30 January 2007|url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2006-11-22/us/27787725_1_kirpan-sikh-americans-posters|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121025044630/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2006-11-22/us/27787725_1_kirpan-sikh-americans-posters|archive-date=25 October 2012|work=[[The Times of India]]|url-status=dead}}</ref> As of 2016, the [[Transportation Security Administration|TSA]] explicitly prohibits the carrying of "religious knives and swords" on one's person or in cabin baggage and requires that they be packed in checked baggage.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tsa.gov/travel/frequently-asked-questions/may-i-keep-head-coverings-and-other-religious-cultural-or|title=May I keep head coverings and other religious, cultural or ceremonial items on during screening?|date=3 March 2015|access-date=19 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180119235457/https://www.tsa.gov/travel/frequently-asked-questions/may-i-keep-head-coverings-and-other-religious-cultural-or|archive-date=19 January 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2008, American Sikh leaders chose not to attend an interfaith meeting with [[Pope Benedict XVI]] at the [[Pope John Paul II Cultural Center]] in [[Washington, D.C.]], because the [[United States Secret Service]] would have required them to leave behind the kirpan.<ref name="APKirpan">{{cite web|title=Feds say Sikhs can't meet pope due to dagger: Secret service won't allow representatives wear ceremonial dagger|website=[[NBC News]]|agency=Associated Press|date=6 March 2008|url=http://www.nbcnews.com/id/23499948/ns/world_news-europe/t/feds-say-sikhs-cant-meet-pope-due-weapon/|access-date=12 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160928020143/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/23499948/ns/world_news-europe/t/feds-say-sikhs-cant-meet-pope-due-weapon/|archive-date=28 September 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> The secretary general of the Sikh Council stated: "We have to respect the sanctity of the kirpan, especially in such interreligious gatherings. We cannot undermine the rights and freedoms of religion in the name of security."<ref name="APKirpan"/> A spokesman for the Secret Service stated: "We understand the kirpan is a sanctified religious object. But by definition, it's still a weapon. We apply our security policy consistently and fairly."<ref name="APKirpan"/>

==See also==
* [[Gatka]]
* [[Sant Sipahi]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Kirpans}}
* [http://www.sikhs.org/art12.htm Explaining what the Kirpan is to a Non-Sikh.]
* [http://www.ots.at/presseaussendung.php?schluessel=OTS_20080828_OTS0151&ch=politik Press release VDPA Human Rights Conference, Vienna, Austria]
* [http://sgpc.net/sikhism/sword-in-sikhism/ Sword in Sikhism] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210124132427/http://sgpc.net/sikhism/sword-in-sikhism/ |date=24 January 2021 }}
* [https://www.deutsches-informationszentrum-sikhreligion.de/KhalsaPanth_de.php About the 5 K´s]

{{5Ks}}
{{Indian martial arts}}
{{Knives}}

[[Category:Indian melee weapons]]
[[Category:Sikh religious clothing]]
[[Category:Ceremonial knives]]
[[Category:Punjabi words and phrases]]
[[Category:Daggers]]
[[Category:Blade weapons]]
[[Category:Religious objects]]
[[Category:Weapons of India]]

Kirpan - Revision history

Bot at 04:54, 28 November 2022