ABSTRACT
Ironically, just to the west of the UK, turbaned Sikhs in the military and police setting have fared far differently. Ireland, lacking the history and tradition of Great Britain with turbaned Sikhs, has taken a much harder stance on integrating Sikhs into its police force, the An Garda Sochna, or the Garda Reserve. Immigrants in the police force in Ireland are still a relatively new idea in that country. Conor Lenihan, an official responsible for the country's integration policy, supported the Garda Sochna ruling, saying immigrants to Ireland must accept Irish culture, while at the same time he proclaimed that the civil service should actively recruit immigrants. Many in Ireland agree with Minister Lenihan's view. In an opinion article in an Irish newspaper, one author, who is an Irish citizen living in the Middle East, sides with the ban. In 2007, the Irish Police Commissioner agreed to meet with prominent Sikhs to discuss the ban.
