🔗 Share this article

Sikh females in the Midlands area are explaining a spate of assaults driven by religious bias has created deep-seated anxiety among their people, forcing many to “radically modify” regarding their everyday habits.

Series of Attacks Causes Fear

Two sexual assaults against Sikh ladies, each in their twenties, in Walsall and Oldbury, have been reported during the last several weeks. A man in his early thirties has been charged in connection with a faith-based sexual assault linked to the purported assault in Walsall.

Such occurrences, along with a brutal assault against two senior Sikh chauffeurs located in Wolverhampton, prompted a session in the House of Commons in late October concerning bias-motivated crimes targeting Sikhs across the Midlands.

Females Changing Routines

A representative from a domestic abuse charity across the West Midlands commented that women were changing their daily routines to ensure their security.

“The fear, the now complete changing of your day-to-day living, that is real. I have not seen that before,” she said. “This is the first time since I’ve set up Sikh Women’s Aid where women have said to us: ‘We are no longer doing the things that we enjoy because we might get harmed doing them.’”

Ladies were “apprehensive” attending workout facilities, or walking or running now, she said. “They are doing this in groups. They are sharing their location with their friends or a family member.

“An assault in Walsall will frighten females in Coventry since it’s within the Midlands,” she emphasized. “Undoubtedly, there’s been a change in how females perceive their personal security.”

Public Reactions and Defensive Steps

Sikh temples throughout the Midlands have started providing protective alarms to ladies as a measure for their protection.

At one Walsall gurdwara, a regular attender stated that the attacks had “transformed everything” for the Sikh community there.

Specifically, she said she was anxious attending worship by herself, and she had told her senior parent to be careful while answering the door. “We’re all targets,” she said. “Anyone can be attacked day or night.”

Another member stated she was adopting further protective steps when going to work. “I attempt to park closer to the transit hub,” she commented. “I listen to paath [prayer] through headphones but keep it quiet enough to detect passing vehicles and ambient noise.”

Echoes of Past Anxieties

A mother of three expressed: “We go for walks, the girls and I, and it just feels very unsafe at the moment with all these crimes.

“In the past, we didn’t contemplate these defensive actions,” she added. “I’m always watching my back.”

For a long-time resident, the environment is reminiscent of the discrimination endured by elders in the 1970s and 80s.

“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, stating residents believed “we’ve gone back in time … where there was a lot of open racism”.

“Residents fear venturing into public spaces,” she said. “Many hesitate to display religious symbols like turbans or scarves.”

Official Responses and Reassurances

Municipal authorities had provided extra CCTV in the vicinity of places of worship to ease public concerns.

Police representatives confirmed they were organizing talks with local politicians, female organizations, and community leaders, and going to worship centers, to talk about ladies’ protection.

“The past week has been tough for the public,” a high-ranking official told a gurdwara committee. “No one should reside in a neighborhood filled with fear.”

Local government declared they had been “engaging jointly with authorities, the Sikh public, and wider society to deliver assistance and peace of mind”.

Another council leader remarked: “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.