🔗 Share this article

Sikh women in the Midlands area are recounting a wave of hate crimes based on faith has instilled deep-seated anxiety within their community, pushing certain individuals to “completely alter” about their daily routines.

String of Events Triggers Concern

Two violent attacks targeting Sikh females, both in their 20s, in Walsall and Oldbury, have been reported over the past few weeks. A 32-year-old man faces charges in connection with a religiously aggravated rape linked to the reported Walsall incident.

Those incidents, coupled with a brutal assault on two elderly Sikh taxi drivers located in Wolverhampton, resulted in a meeting in parliament in late October about anti-Sikh hate crimes within the area.

Females Changing Routines

A representative working with a women’s aid group across the West Midlands explained that women were altering their regular habits for their own safety.

“The dread, the absolute transformation of everyday existence, is palpable. This is unprecedented in my experience,” she remarked. “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.’”

Women were “not comfortable” going to the gym, or taking strolls or jogs at present, she said. “They participate in these endeavors together. They update loved ones on their location.”

“A violent incident in Walsall causes anxiety for ladies in Coventry as it’s part of the same region,” she emphasized. “Clearly, there’s a transformation in the manner ladies approach their own protection.”

Community Responses and Precautions

Sikh temples throughout the Midlands are now handing out rape and security alarms to females to help ensure their security.

Within a Walsall place of worship, a frequent visitor mentioned that the events had “changed everything” for local Sikh residents.

Notably, she said she felt unsafe visiting the temple alone, and she advised her elderly mother to stay vigilant while answering the door. “Everyone is a potential victim,” she affirmed. “Assaults can occur anytime, day or night.”

One more individual explained she was adopting further protective steps while commuting to her job. “I try and find parking nearer to the bus station,” she said. “I put paath [prayer] in my headphones but it’s on a very low volume, to the point where I can still hear cars go past, I can still hear surroundings around me.”

Echoes of Past Anxieties

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

“We’ve never thought about taking these precautions before,” she continued. “I’m always watching my back.”

For a long-time resident, the atmosphere recalls the discrimination endured by elders in the 1970s and 80s.

“This mirrors the 1980s, when our mothers walked near the local hall,” she said. “We used to have the National Front and all the people sat there and they used to spit at them, call them names or set dogs on them. For some reason, I’m going back to that. In my head, I think those times are almost back.”

A community representative supported this view, noting individuals sensed “we’ve returned to a period … characterized by blatant bigotry”.

“People are scared to go out in the community,” she said. “Many hesitate to display religious symbols like turbans or scarves.”

Government Measures and Supportive Statements

City officials had installed more monitoring systems around gurdwaras to ease public concerns.

Authorities announced they were organizing talks with community leaders, female organizations, and community leaders, along with attending religious sites, to address female security.

“It’s been a very difficult week for the community,” a high-ranking official informed a temple board. “No one deserves to live in a community feeling afraid.”

The council declared it was “collaborating closely with law enforcement and the Sikh population, as well as broader groups, to offer aid and comfort”.

One more local authority figure stated: “The terrible occurrence in Oldbury left us all appalled.” She added that the council worked with the police as part of a safety partnership to tackle violence against women and girls and hate crime.