‘German courts do not understand the value of the dastaar’: Sikhs speak out on motorcycle turban ban

A German Sikh community figure said courts in the nation ‘do not understand the value of the dastaar’ after it was ruled last week that Sikhs are not exempt from country-wide motorcycle helmet laws.

The ruling was made in the Federal Administrative Court of Leipzig after a Sikh man had argued that he could not fit a helmet over his dastaar (Sikh turban) so was exempt from breaking the law without a helmet. The decision prompted an outcry among the international Sikh community due to the fact there is no evidence shown to prove accidents involving Sikhs wearing dastaars has led to a bigger burden on national health services, which is often cited as an issue.

Presiding judge Renate Philipp said, in his ruling, “People wearing a turban on religious grounds are not for that reason alone exempt from the obligation to wear a helmet,” according to Deutsche Welle. One argument the court made against the man’s claim is that wearing a helmet doesn’t only protect the rider—it also helps drivers avoid trauma if they cause injury to a rider without a helmet, and that any riders wearing helmets would more readily be able to assist others in an accident.

Robin Singh of Hamburg, a respected Sikh community figure in Germany, said of the ruling, ‘This court decision will just encourage Sikhs not to consider having motorbikes or scooters.  The courts do not understand the value of the dastaar.

‘It’s not just a religious symbol you can put on and take off. It’s part of the daily life of a practicing Sikh. If we justify wearing a dastaar solely from a Western religious point of view, courts can ban turbans because of  theprinciple of neutrality. This lack of understanding is also why there have been some problems with Sikhs joining the police or military.’

According to our sources, in 1986 German courts ruled that Sikhs could apply for single-exemption for such issues on religious grounds, which some Sikhs in Germany have in regards to riding motorcycles. In the UK, most of Canada and some states in the USA, Sikhs have religious exemptions from wearing helmets. Robin Singh stated the community will discuss finding a larger solution to the issue for the entire community.

‘The process of seeking single-exemption is very slow and long. Sikh organisations need to come together and find a solution for the whole Sikh community, so each individual does not need to go through this process. It is an important issue because for example, using scooters is a cheaper and often easier option for travel currently denied to Sikhs in Germany.

‘I hope that German people realise how important the dastaar for Sikhs is and that more people show solidarity for Sikhs also towards other dastaar issues. ‘