AIBU to question religious exemptions and equal treatment under UK law?

Except it’s not their choice is it. Really.

The reason is simple because of the leveraging of racism in the complaint and it seems the offender was not approached because of fears of racism.

Shotguns need licenses. They need to be locked away, and they need police approval. You cannot just carry one in public based on a religious status.

What I’m finding interesting is how hotly debated this seems to be when the perpetrator is brown and religious, even though there hasn’t ever been a case of this in the U.K. before and his own community are speaking out against this; yet there are half a million people here with shotgun licenses and there have been lots of murders using these over the years.

Yet our gun laws and desperate need for people to go clay pigeon shooting never seems to be in any way as debated?

I’m may be wrong but I’m sure you’re allowed to carry a swiss army knife? Fencers can carry swords to and from training etc

@ShyGirl32 - I agree with you. It has to come from the Sikh community itself given they also lobbied for the wide exemption in the first place. Obviously the murderer here does not represent what they stand for whatsoever, but much like the Catholic Church, they do have to take responsibility for it. Only with honesty and responsibility comes change.

However, calls from the far left for a secular society and no Church of England. That will just end up in fights with the far right over a first amendment style constitution instead. And I really do not think the majority of the country is up for any of that.

And it's Nowak, not Novak. Show some respect.

I'm well aware Digwa is British and I'm not saying you said otherwise, but your argument is part of an exclusionist trope and I think you're well aware of that actually. As for me, I'm about as far from London as you can get without falling off the edge of the country, so that's another poor assumption on your part. Your nephew is entitled to wear his dreadlocks at school. It's pointless, weird and divisive to refuse the protections of the law yourself but then complain when others are unembarrassed to do so. YABU. Deal with it.

Glad you’ve found it helpful. Brain blips are a good excuse to ask questions, thanks for being open to others views :)

I haven’t come across that, though have been treated by healthcare workers in hijab. Crazy application of the rules.

@JenJenOut - but in theory covering your head in medicine is more hygienic rather than less and the NHS could provide really long gloves for women who wish to cover their arms. They just don’t.

The women in our training group were Muslim. They wore headscarves and needed to have covered arms at all times. Obviously like many religions there are varying degrees of how people follow it. Which is why some Muslim women don’t even wear a headscarf and others wear a full burqa. But in my experience most women I come across at work who wear a headscarf also cover their arms at all times.

It is all justifiable until it is not. No, there should not be a religious exemption to carry what is otherwise an offensive weapon. There are probably many other reasoned ways to comply with religious requirements that do not conflict with the law.

Thank you. I have been so ignorant and am trying to educate myself on religious exemptions. I wonder if, say, an offshore worker would be able to wear one.

I tend to agree that we should move towards being a secular country.

So exactly what is the proposal? A new written constitution? Are you sure? Have you thought this through?
It is not easy to dismantle the entire traditions in our current democracy that easily. Brexit was shit enough.

I would like to see the disestablishment of the Church of England and for the UK to be a modern, secular democracy.

The only damage we could do with DHs ceremonial sword is hit someone over the head with it.

What religion has to cover their arms?

Does the religious exemption also include airlines does anyone know?

Otherwise it’s all “oh don’t demonise us, you’re being racist” but where does that get any of us? Precisely nowhere. If we want to stamp out knife culture, we have to have zero tolerance towards carrying knives. End of.

There’s lots of exemptions, not just religious ones. People who use tools, including knives, that would normally be considered weapons can carry them to and from work. YABU for not knowing these well publicised facts before now, and making it about religion rather than the actual context.