🔗 Share this article

Female members of the Sikh community across the Midlands are explaining a spate of religiously motivated attacks has caused pervasive terror among their people, forcing many to “radically modify” regarding their everyday habits.

Recent Incidents Spark Alarm

Two violent attacks of Sikh women, both young adults, in Walsall and Oldbury, have come to light in recent weeks. A man in his early thirties faces charges associated with a religiously aggravated rape linked to the purported assault in Walsall.

Such occurrences, along with a violent attack targeting two older Sikh cab drivers located in Wolverhampton, prompted a meeting in parliament at the end of October about anti-Sikh hate crimes within the area.

Ladies Modifying Habits

A leader working with a women’s aid group across the West Midlands commented that women were changing their daily routines to ensure their security.

“The terror, the total overhaul of daily life, is genuine. I’ve never witnessed this previously,” 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.’”

Women were “not comfortable” visiting fitness centers, or walking or running now, she said. “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 explained. “Undoubtedly, there’s been a change in how females perceive their personal security.”

Public Reactions and Defensive Steps

Sikh temples throughout the Midlands have begun distributing personal safety devices to women to help ensure their security.

Within a Walsall place of worship, a frequent visitor stated that the incidents had “altered everything” for Sikhs living in the area.

Notably, she revealed she was anxious going to the gurdwara on her own, and she had told her elderly mother to be careful while answering the door. “All of us are at risk,” she affirmed. “Anyone can be attacked day or night.”

Another member stated she was adopting further protective steps while commuting to her job. “I try and find parking nearer to the bus station,” she commented. “I play paath [prayer] in my earpieces at minimal volume, ensuring I remain aware of traffic and my environment.”

Generational Fears Resurface

A woman raising three girls stated: “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 said. “I’m perpetually checking my surroundings.”

For someone who grew up locally, the mood echoes the bigotry experienced by prior generations in the 1970s and 80s.

“We lived through similar times in the 80s as our mothers passed the community center,” she recalled. “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 local councillor agreed with this, stating residents believed “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.”

Government Measures and Supportive Statements

City officials had provided extra CCTV in the vicinity of places of worship to ease public concerns.

Police representatives stated they were conducting discussions with community leaders, women’s groups, and public advocates, along with attending religious sites, to discuss women’s safety.

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

The council affirmed 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 remarked: “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.