🔗 Share this article

Sikh women throughout the Midlands region are recounting a wave of assaults driven by religious bias has instilled deep-seated anxiety within their community, forcing many to “radically modify” regarding their everyday habits.

Recent Incidents Spark Alarm

Two sexual assaults of Sikh women, both in their 20s, reported from Walsall and Oldbury, have been reported in recent weeks. An individual aged 32 is now accused in connection with a religiously aggravated rape linked to the alleged Walsall attack.

Such occurrences, combined with a violent attack against two senior Sikh chauffeurs in Wolverhampton, prompted a session in the House of Commons in late October concerning bias-motivated crimes targeting Sikhs in the region.

Females Changing Routines

An advocate working with a women’s aid group in the West Midlands explained 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 remarked. “For the first time since establishing Sikh Women’s Aid, women have expressed: ‘We’ve ceased pursuing our passions out of fear for our safety.’”

Females felt “uneasy” visiting fitness centers, or walking or running at present, she said. “They are doing this in groups. They are sharing their location with their friends or a family member.

“A violent incident in Walsall causes anxiety for ladies in Coventry as it’s part of the same region,” she emphasized. “There has definitely been a shift in the way women think about their own safety.”

Collective Actions and Safety Measures

Sikh temples in the Midlands region are now handing out personal safety devices to women to help ensure their security.

At one Walsall gurdwara, a regular attender remarked that the incidents had “altered everything” for the Sikh community there.

In particular, she said she was anxious visiting the temple alone, and she cautioned her senior parent to stay vigilant when opening her front door. “All of us are at risk,” she said. “Anyone can be attacked day or night.”

A different attendee mentioned she was taking extra precautions when going to work. “I seek parking spots adjacent to the bus depot,” she noted. “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 parent with three daughters expressed: “My daughters and I take walks, but current crime levels make it feel highly dangerous.

“We’ve never thought about taking these precautions before,” she added. “I’m looking over my shoulder constantly.”

For an individual raised in the area, the mood echoes the bigotry experienced by prior generations during the seventies and eighties.

“We’ve experienced all this in the 1980s when our mums used to go past where the community hall is,” she said. “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 public official supported this view, saying people felt “we’ve gone back in time … where there was a lot of open racism”.

“Individuals are afraid to leave their homes,” she emphasized. “Many hesitate to display religious symbols like turbans or scarves.”

Official Responses and Reassurances

City officials had provided additional surveillance cameras around gurdwaras to comfort residents.

Police representatives confirmed they were holding meetings with local politicians, women’s groups, and local representatives, along with attending religious sites, to discuss women’s safety.

“The past week has been tough for the public,” a chief superintendent informed a worship center group. “No one should reside in a neighborhood filled with fear.”

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

A different municipal head commented: “The terrible occurrence in Oldbury left us all appalled.” She explained that the municipality collaborates with authorities via a protective coalition to address attacks on women and prejudice-motivated crimes.