🔗 Share this article

Sikh females across the Midlands are describing how a series of religiously motivated attacks has instilled pervasive terror in their circles, forcing many to “change everything” concerning their day-to-day activities.

String of Events Triggers Concern

Two violent attacks targeting Sikh females, both young adults, occurring in Walsall and Oldbury, were recently disclosed over the past few weeks. An individual aged 32 faces charges associated with a faith-based sexual assault in relation to the alleged Walsall attack.

Those incidents, coupled with a violent attack targeting two older Sikh cab drivers from Wolverhampton, prompted a meeting in parliament towards October's close regarding hate offenses against Sikhs across the Midlands.

Females Changing Routines

An advocate associated with a support organization across the West Midlands explained that females were modifying their everyday schedules for their own safety.

“The fear, the now complete changing of your day-to-day living, that is real. I have not seen that before,” she noted. “It’s the initial instance since founding Sikh Women’s Aid that females have told us: ‘We’ve stopped engaging in activities we love due to potential danger.’”

Ladies were “apprehensive” attending workout facilities, or walking or running now, she mentioned. “They now undertake these activities collectively. They notify friends or relatives of their whereabouts.

“An assault in Walsall will frighten females in Coventry since it’s within the Midlands,” she emphasized. “Clearly, there’s a transformation in the manner ladies approach their own protection.”

Collective Actions and Safety Measures

Sikh gurdwaras throughout the Midlands are now handing out protective alarms to ladies as a measure for their protection.

At one Walsall gurdwara, a regular attender mentioned that the attacks had “transformed everything” for Sikhs living in the area.

Specifically, she said she was anxious attending worship by herself, and she advised her senior parent to exercise caution upon unlocking her entrance. “We’re all targets,” she declared. “Anyone can be attacked day or night.”

A different attendee explained she was implementing additional safety measures while commuting to her job. “I seek parking spots adjacent to the bus depot,” she commented. “I play paath [prayer] in my earpieces at minimal volume, ensuring I remain aware of traffic and my environment.”

Echoes of Past Anxieties

A parent with three daughters expressed: “My daughters and I take walks, but current crime levels make it feel highly dangerous.

“We never previously considered such safety measures,” she continued. “I’m perpetually checking my surroundings.”

For an individual raised in the area, the mood is reminiscent of the racism older generations faced during the seventies and eighties.

“We lived through similar times in the 80s as our mothers passed the community center,” she recalled. “Extremist groups would occupy that space, spitting, using slurs, or siccing dogs on them. Irrationally, I’m reverting to that mindset. I believe that period is nearly here again.”

A community representative agreed with this, noting individuals sensed “we’ve regressed to an era … marked by overt racism”.

“People are scared to go out in the community,” she said. “People are scared to wear the artefacts of their religion; turbans or head coverings.”

Official Responses and Reassurances

The local council had set up extra CCTV around gurdwaras to reassure the community.

Law enforcement officials confirmed they were conducting discussions with community leaders, ladies’ associations, and community leaders, and going to worship centers, to talk about ladies’ protection.

“This has been a challenging period for residents,” a chief superintendent told a gurdwara committee. “No one deserves to live in a community feeling afraid.”

Local government stated it had been “actively working alongside the police with the Sikh community and our communities more widely to provide support and reassurance”.

A different municipal head stated: “Everyone was stunned by the horrific event in Oldbury.” She explained that the municipality collaborates with authorities via a protective coalition to address attacks on women and prejudice-motivated crimes.