In Sikhism, the turban is a veil that is considered an integral part of the culture and symbolizes an individual's honor, dignity, and self-worth. The practice of growing a beard is a symbol of respect for the "perfection of God's creation". The turban is not commonly worn by many and therefore those who are ignorant of its meaning are prone to believe negative stereotypes. For example, uninformed individuals might associate the turban with terrorism since terrorists such as Bin Laden or Taliban terrorists wore turbans. Being a minority, Sikhs suffer racism and disrespect due to lack of awareness. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Baltej Singh Dhillon was born and raised in Malaysia until the age of 16. In 1983 he immigrated to British Columbia where he completed high school and began studying criminology at Kwantlen College. To increase his chances of getting into high school, he "helped the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) launch the Block Watch program in his community and was subsequently hired by the force to work on the program" and decided to apply for the admission to the RCMP. He met all the initial requirements for the RCMP but was refused RCMP compliance due to the dress code of the time where turbans were prohibited and the “Clearly Shaven Faces Requirement”. Rather than give up his career, he went to RCMP Commissioner Norman Inkster to proclaim the government's injustice against the turban-wearing community demonstrated regarding dress code policies. The commissioner supported Dhillon and pressured the federal government to change policy in Dhillon's favor. The RCMP acquiesced in favor of visible minorities taking affirmative action in 1987, and changes were made the following year. They responded to Baltej's request by approving and allowing him to wear the turban and beard in the RCMP position. This policy change has led to controversy over the changes the Canadian government had to make due to the sacrifice of immigrants to Canadian tradition and, on the other hand, the danger of creating contempt or isolation towards turban-wearing officers [GC1] . Furthermore, in Alberta “an anti-turban activist produced and sold thousands of calendars mocking changes to the RCMP uniform for ethnic or religious reasons.” According to the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, as a Canadian he has freedom of religion, including freedom from discrimination based on his religion or race, so justice was served in Dhillon's favor. The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms “guarantees the rights and freedoms set forth therein subject only to such reasonable limits as may be prescribed by law which can be demonstrably justified in a free and democratic society.” Freedom of religion has been defined as “the right to hold a religious belief as a person chooses, the right to declare one's religious belief openly and without fear of hindrance or reprisal, and the right to manifest a religious belief through worship and practice or through teaching and dissemination”. And Section 15. (Equal Rights) includes racial equality, physical and mental disability. It prohibits “certain forms of discrimination perpetrated by the governments of Canada, except in amelioration programs (affirmative action) and in rights or privileges guaranteed by or under the Constitution of Canada against denominational, segregated or dissenting schools (religious education).” “Furthermore, few were made in March 1990.
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