1. Can the category 'culture' (or religion) be used?	Yes, both the religion and culture categories can be used. The Kirpan is a ceremonial knife that Sikhs are required to carry according to the precepts of their religion (Sikhism), in keeping with the principle of fighting against oppression and injustice. It is part of the Sikh dress code along with other items (see below 2).
2. Description of the cultural (or religious) practice and group.	2. Description of the cultural (or religious) practice and group. The word Kirpan in Punjabi has two roots: kirpa, meaning mercy, grace, compassion, and aanaa, meaning honour, dignity. Its area of origin is the Punjab region of India, where its use has taken root among Sikhs. For the Sikhs, the Kirpan is a symbol of wisdom and defence of the forces of light, peace and justice; it is the emblem of the word of God; it is a symbol of their spirituality and constant striving for goodness, and it is a destroyer of ignorance. The Kirpan is a symbolic dagger-like weapon carried by orthodox Sikhs since 1699, when Guru Gobind Singh Ji, the top political, military and spiritual leader of the Sikhs, declared that it should always be carried as a symbol of the struggle against oppression and injustice. The Kirpan is placed on a cloth belt called the Gatra and can vary in length; generally Kirpans are curved and have a single sharp edge and are made of steel or iron. Any Sikh who has undergone the initiation ceremony may wear more than one, as the Kirpan represents one of the five principles of Sikhism to be observed, which are:   Kesh, long hair, often covered by a turban; Khanga, a wooden comb for maintaining the hair; Kara, a steel bracelet that reminds the believer of his connection to the guru; Kacha, cotton underwear; Kirpan.   To wear the Kirpan is to embody the qualities of a Sant Sipahi (holy soldier) who, according to the precepts of the religion, has among his characteristics the courage to fight for the underdog, as well as to show no fear on the battlefield and to treat defeated enemies with humanity. Although not all those who identify themselves as Sikhs wear the Kirpan, it is one of the five articles of faith that baptised Sikhs see as an element of identity and therefore feel they must wear. Originally a ceremonial sword, the kirpan today is nothing more than a small dagger symbolising power and freedom of spirit, self-respect, the constant struggle for goodness and morality against injustice, and should never be drawn to attack or in moments of anger. As much as the Kirpan sometimes raises questions or doubts among people unfamiliar with Sikhism, the Kirpan is nothing more than a religious symbol, similar to the cross in Christianity. It is not a physical object with a practical utility, but a symbolic and metaphorical element framed within the religion of Sikhism. Just as Christians wear a cross, baptised Sikhs (almost exclusively men, but in recent years, as evidenced by some testimonies, also women), according to the commandments of the faith, wear a Kirpan at all times of their days, along with other articles of faith.
​3. Embedding the individual practice in the broader cultural (or religious) system.	Sikhs are a monotheistic religious group of Indian origin, whose best known and most visible characteristic is the use of the turban, as well as the kirpan. Sikhism was founded in the 15th century in the Punjab region of northern India, a culturally vibrant region ruled by the Mughal Empire. At the time of the founder of the Sikh faith and its first guru, Guru Nanak, Sikhism flourished as a counterweight to the predominant teachings of Hindus and Muslims; during this period the Mughal emperor Akbar focused on religious tolerance, and his relations with the Sikh gurus were cordial. Relations between the Sikhs and Akbar's successors, however, were not friendly, and it is in this context that the use of the Kirpan among the Sikhs originated. In the following period, in fact, the Mughal rulers restored Islamic traditions, and with them a tax for non-Muslims. Guru Arjan Dev, the fifth Sikh guru, refused to follow the precepts of Islam and was therefore summoned by the Mughal rulers and executed. This incident is considered a turning point in Sikh history, and led to the first instance of militarisation of the religious group, which occurred under the command of Guru Arjun's son, Guru Hargobind; it was he who first conceived the idea of the Kirpan through the notion of Sant Sipahi (holy soldiers). Beginning with the tenth and last guru, Gobind Singh, the Kirpan was formally incorporated as a compulsory article of faith for all baptised Sikhs, making it a duty for Sikhs to defend the needy and repressed, to uphold righteousness and freedom of speech. The origins of the use of the Kirpan by the Sikhs are therefore rooted in the early period of origin of the religion, from a necessity of the first worshippers. Today, the dagger symbolises the religious duty to defend the innocent, and can only be used in self-defence and never as an offensive weapon.
4. Is the practice essential (to the survival of the group), compulsory or optional?	The practice is essential as a religious and identity issue, and a Sikh without his Kirpan to protect him from harm feels vulnerable, as a potential victim of external attacks. The number of Sikhs in the Western world is numerous, and a constant among the members of this religion is the fact that parents make their children follow the Sikh commandments with great conviction, passing on the need to wear the Kirpan in every context of life. The Kirpan, besides being one of the five commandments of Sikhism to be followed, is also a very important identity symbol, especially in migratory contexts.
​5.     Is the practice shared by the group, or is it contested?	The practice is shared by the group, and the kirpan is seen by practitioners exclusively as a religious symbol and not as a weapon. Although it is quite clear that it is a religious symbol, the possession of the Kirpan has been the subject of public debate for many Sikhs living in Western contexts, as some public places prohibit the carrying of weapons: such as aeroplanes, courthouses and government offices. Despite this debate, Sikhs have not, by and large, stopped following the practice, and some countries grant Sikhs an exemption to carry these items.
​6.     How would the average person belonging to that culture (or religion) behave?	The kirpan is worn daily by Sikhs, especially by the middle class. Although it has lost some of the symbolism that delegated to its owner the commitment to defend the weakest, it remains an unmistakable message of belonging to one's religious community, just like the turban.
​7.     Is the subject sincere?	In order to assess whether the subject's adherence to the practice of kirpan wearing is sincere and thus devoid of any offensive intentions, it might be useful to inquire about:   his membership in a particular Sikh community; the possible use of other sacred objects typical of the Sikh faith; the nature of the dagger worn (the kirpan in fact possesses certain material characteristics that distinguish it from other cutting instruments); the type of kirpan; in fact, there is a prototype of this instrument recently approved by the National Proof House in Italy, which has been certified as being incapable of being used as an offensive weapon - so if it were this model, punishing the subject for unlawful carrying of weapons would contravene the series of provisions that have defined that particular model as not classifiable as a weapon; the possible involvement of the subject in past episodes of violence in which he/she used the instrument, even if only as a brandishment; other characteristics of the offender such as his or her participation in the life of the religious community, his or her lack of dangerous behaviour, his or her commitment to the society of which he or she is a part (character of the offender; the offender's criminal and judicial record and, in general, his or her conduct and life prior to the offence, the individual, family and social conditions of life of the offender).
8.     The search for the cultural equivalent: the translation of the minority practice into a corresponding (Italian) majority practice. ​	The Kirpan is a religious and identity symbol, comparable to the cross in Christianity. For people unfamiliar with Christianity, the cross worn by many Christians is an instrument of torture and death (the Romans used the cross to torture and execute prisoners). Therefore, one might come to think that people who wear a cross around their neck are advocates of applying martyrdom, suffering or torment. In reality, the cross symbolises salvation, the way to resurrection, the human side and the divine side of Christ; it is the tree of redemption and therefore, for Christians, the cross is a sacred symbol. The same happens with the kirpan: people unfamiliar with Sikhism might come to think that Sikhs carry an instrument of attack or assault and are always ready to pull it out if the occasion calls for it, whereas for Sikhs the kirpan is a symbol of wisdom and defence of the forces of light, the destroyer of ignorance, peace and justice, the spiritual struggle; it is the symbol of the word of God and also of spiritual purification.
9.      Does the practice cause harm? ​	There do not appear to be any cases in the chronicle or in case law where the kirpan has been used offensively and thus caused harm. With the exception of the prototype referred to above and officially certified as harmless, the non-offensiveness of the kirpan cannot be ruled out entirely. One could sometimes exclude its ability to perpetrate cutting wounds, because it is perhaps not sharp or particularly small, but not its general ability to cause harm, especially if larger in size. If one focuses on the practice of carrying the kirpan, and thus on adherence to the meanings of peacekeeping and obedience that it symbolises, one can say that the practice does not cause any harm. It certainly generates fear in members of the majority culture who do not know its meaning because it is associated with the idea of the dagger but also, with the dagger being carried by a 'foreigner' and this evokes a feeling of danger because it is equated with the phenomenon of a potential terrorist attack. If one were, therefore, to identify a form of harm, this would have to do with the feeling of security of some people, especially those who are unfamiliar with the practice or who have a prejudice of dangerousness towards foreigners. But if one goes beyond this prejudice, traces the practice back to its real meaning and data, which do not show the use of that weapon in an offensive sense, the harm does not exist.
​10.  What impact does the minority practice have on the culture, constitutional values, and rights of the (Italian) majority?	The majority culture perceives the practice of wearing the kirpan in public places as a security risk. This perception is fueled by a distorted conception of the foreigner as dangerous, dedicated to begging and delinquency because they lack economic and welfare means, or as a potential extremist and terrorist. While it is undeniable that some migrants find themselves in conditions of housing, economic and welfare deprivation and are therefore often inclined to commit crimes (as are Italian citizens who find themselves in the same conditions), it is also true that these situations do not concern the majority of foreigners in the country, who live peacefully and work stably in Italy for several generations and who would better represent the profile of the 'foreigner'. However, prejudice about foreigners has a preponderant weight on the feeling of public safety. In fact, the citizen does not feel threatened to the same extent in other cases that are an integral part of everyday life, but which conceal, at least in the abstract, the same risks: one thinks of the use of picnic knives that are carried by their legitimate owners on walks and outings; of certain civil and formal ceremonies in which, in front of crowds of people gathered for the occasion, several individuals display and brandish swords (coronation of kings and queens, wedding ceremonies in which members of the armed forces choose to adopt special protocols and in which the exit of the bride and groom is often accompanied by the so-called 'bridge of sabres', a real bridge of swords made by military colleagues above the bride and groom and endowed with special auspicious meanings for the couple), to occasions of military parades, as well as medieval parades and historical re-enactments with swords, crossbows, bows and arrows. The constitutional value that is considered most harmed by the practice of wearing the kirpan is the common sense of public safety. However, other values also come into play: that of secularism, which in an extreme view would like to limit the expression of individuals' religious orientations in public (as well as crucifixes, Islamic veil), to guarantee the idea of a formal equality not conditioned by expressions concerning one's beliefs; versus that of religious freedom, which would instead like to guarantee the free use of symbols. In terms of rights, the practice would seem to impact on the protection of public order and safety. The reference, however, to the specific practice of wearing and carrying the kirpan in public places does not generate a real infringement of this right, as long as it is not used with malicious intent. Even the punishability of the conduct is in fact mostly linked to offences of danger, which therefore affect certain conduct that the legal system deems highly likely to generate dangerous situations, hence the reference to public order and safety as rights. However, from the point of view of the 'feeling of danger', the use of the kirpan has a slight impact on the sphere of individual rights compared to the limitations that the absolute prohibition of this practice would determine on the right to freedom of worship and on the principle of the 'positive' secularity of the State, called upon to facilitate and protect the spiritual and religious expressions of individuals.
​11.   Does the practice perpetuate patriarchy?	No. ​
12.  What good reasons does the minority present for continuing the practice? The criterion of an equally valid life choice.	The kirpan symbolises power and freedom of spirit and is nothing more than a religious symbol, similar to the cross in Christianity. This is why it is worn naturally according to the commandments of faith, along with other articles of faith, and there is no reason to break this custom.