Suffering the daggers of stupidity

I wouldn't want anyone to think that I am only curmudgeonly regarding Abrahamic faiths, far from it, I aspire to seek out irrational  nonsense from any quarter. In support of this ideal I read this story yesterday in the BBC, it's about a Sikh judge called Sir Mota Singh. According to the report Mr Singh can't understand why children indoctrinated into his particular religion should be prevented from wearing ceremonial daggers... to school.

The weapons in question are called Kirpan's apparently Sikhs are required to wear one at all times (presumably not when they're in the shower?) and according to the dogma of Sikhism it is one of five symbolic items that should be worn at all times. From what I can gather this is one of those metaphysical deals where inanimate objects become part of your body, I suppose like the transubstantiation process imagined by Catholics or "magic" underwear imagined by Mormons; to me it all smacks of making stuff up to encourage compliance to herd mentality, but that's just me. Anyway, whatever people wish to do behind the curtains of their West London semi's is fine by me, but inflicting their superstitions on everyone else in the setting of a public school is unacceptable, particularly when it involves combining lethal weapons and children (call me crazy).

It's not clear to me why, if these things are purely ceremonial, they can't be made of plastic or made harmless in some way, apparently this is unacceptable which leaves me thinking that perhaps this is really just a nostalgic hankering for the good old days when theocratic retribution for someone dis'ing your pet superstitions was swift (and barbaric) and involved the business end of a steel blade; you could say religion's true tradition.