Yes, the headline is true: A (now EX) IRS employee tried to carry a knife into the workplace, a kirpan, to be precise. The knife totting employee filed a suit based on religious discrimination, claiming her civil rights were violated.
According to the examiner, "A kirpan is a small ceremonial sword and one of the Sikh Articles of Faith. In January 2009, Kawaljeet Tagore filed the lawsuit against the Department of the Treasury, the IRS, the Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Protective Service, and several individual government officials and employees."
While it's true that carrying a kirpan is part of the sikh faith, it's hard to justify carrying a knife (or small sword) into a government building. Envision the carnage a disgruntled worker could inflict! But was this a "Real" sword?
The plantiff, Kawaljeet Kaur Tagore claims that the sword is not sharp capable of inflicting bodily harm. The lawsuit notes the normal distribution of practical items like scissors, box cutters, and kitchen knives in the building. She also tries to distinguish to kirpan from dangerous weapons that are prohibited in federal facilities. (section 930 of title 18 of the United States Code).
What do you think on this case?