Calls to ban the Sikh kirpan are irrational

June 7, 2026 • World news

Letter: Retired judge Hugh Howard says any review would have to include the Scottish sgian-dubh and swords worn by military personnel at service events

As a judge, I wrote a scenario for a recruitment exercise for a judicial appointments commission where candidates had to adjudicate between a Sikh boy who wanted to wear the kirpan and his Church of England faith school that wanted to exclude it (Sikhs wary of UK backlash as they condemn ‘moment of madness’, 2 June). It was based on my advice to a school that wanted to ban it. When I advised the school that it permitted cricket bats and balls and pointed dividers, all of which had been used as weapons, a compromise was reached enabling pupils to wear a swaddled kirpan under clothing. The Sikh community has condemned the illegal use of the kirpan. A Sikh would no more think of using it as a weapon than other faith group would think of using their religious symbols as weapons. The suggested review of the wearing of the kirpan would presumably have to include the wearing of the sgian-dubh , which I wear when kilted, the swords worn by serving and retired military personnel at service events, or the short sword I wore when dressed as a Roman soldier at a Christian festival. It is irrational to seek to ban the kirpan much in the same way as it would be irrational to ban the sale of kitchen knives, like the one that virtually severed my right thumb from my hand during a robbery. Hugh Howard (retired judge) Bourne End, Buckinghamshire • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.

Source: The Guardian