The decision of the Garda authorities not to permit a Sikh to wear a turban as a member of the Garda Reserve has been justified by the Minister of State for Integration, Conor Lenihan, in a blunt way that does not do justice to an issue that illustrates the complex choices to be made if a rapidly changing Irish society is to develop in an orderly way.
"If we are to take integration seriously," the Minister said, "people who come here must understand our way of doing things. When the President and Ministers travel to the Middle East, they accept cultural requirements of the country and the culture they are operating in. It is a vice versa situation with regard to Ireland."
Is that really what we mean by integration? Is this really the welcome Ireland has in store for its new arrivals? Forget the cultural baggage you bring with you. Accommodate yourselves to us, because we certainly aren't going to change our ways to accommodate you. Surely the process is more nuanced than that?
The Garda has at least taken steps in recent years to help promote greater ethnic diversity, such as removing the requirement that applicants be Irish citizens and hold a qualification in Irish. And ia statement, it said its decision on the turban was compatible with its commitment to interculturalism and the National Action Plan against Racism. But the plan certainly does not rule out accommodating Sikhs. On the contrary, commendably it defines integration as "a two-way process that places duties and obligations on both cultural and ethnic minorities and the State to create an inclusive society" and it promotes "taking into account the practical implications of cultural diversity in the design and implementation of policies, programmes and organisational practices".
That approach should not necessarily mean a carte blanche willingness to incorporate any form of dress into the Garda uniform - clearly the burqa, for example, might impinge on the operational effectiveness of a female garda. However, many police forces, and indeed armies, allow Sikhs to wear turbans and they are no less effective. For Sikhs the turban is more than a fashion statement or cultural tradition. As the Irish Sikh Council points out: "The turban is not mere cultural paraphernalia but an article of faith for every Sikh".
A Garda willingness to accommodate such an expression of faith would signal its respect for diversity and its commitment to a two-way integration process rather than the incorporation approach which the Minister, on the face of it, seems to prefer. At the very least, the arguments require further debate.