Statements on vandalism of Sikh soldier statue

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Sikh Federation UK ask “Was it racism?” whilst Guru Nanak Gurdwara Smethwick request anyone with information to go the police.

Sikh organisations have come together to condemn the vandalism of a newly erected Sikh World War 1 soldier statue outside Smethwick Gurdwara.

The three-metre (10ft) bronze statue was unveiled on 4 November, a week before the centenary of the armistice, but it was found on Thursday night/early Friday morning to have been sprayed with the words “sepoys no more”.

The term “sepoy” refers to Indian soldiers serving in British or other European armies. The words “of the great war” from the statue’s title were also covered with a black line with “1 jarnail” graffitied next to it.

Sepoys no more graffiti

The Sikh Federation UK said of the vandalism, “Sikh Federation (UK) condemn the senseless and cowardly act of vandalism to deface the newly erected WW1 monument to the Sikh sacrifices ‘Lions of the Great War’. Was this an act of racism? ‘Sepoy’ was a phrase originally used derogatorily by the British because it denoted a relatively untrained local militia man.”

A statement from Guru Nanak Gurdwara Smethwick, who funded the statue, said, “We are aware of the vandalism that took place on the Lions of the Great War Monument site today and condemn this despicable and cowardly act.”

Jatinder Singh, President of Guru Nanak Gurdwara (GNG) Smethwick was extremely disappointed with the actions of the vandals but remained resolute.

“There was some vandalism to the back wall overnight which is very disappointing. The graffiti was cleaned off and the matter was reported to the police.

Working with the council we won’t allow this vandalism to undermine the very strong message created by this new monument and the overwhelmingly positive reaction to its unveiling.

What makes this incident particularly distressing, is the complete disregard and lack of respect for the significance of the statue and inscriptions, installed recently to commemorate the losses felt by many South Asian families who lost their dear ones during the First World War and mark 100 years since the end of the Great War.”

GNG Smethwick have advised anyone who witnesses vandalism or other anti-social behaviour taking place to report any incidents to the police as soon as possible.

Sikhs at War, an organisation dedicated to documenting and highlighting the Sikh contribution to the World Wars, called the act “utterly shocking and despicable”.

Sikhs to lobby MPs over community concerns

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Sikhs from across the country are planning to converge on Westminster for a mass lobby of MPs.

The mass lobby has been organised by The Sikh Federation UK on Wednesday 14th November from 12pm in Parliament.

After meeting in the central lobby, attendees will then proceed to Committee Room 6 to hear an update on the raiding of the homes of Sikh activists in Britain in September.

In the run up to the lobby, over 150 MPs have been contacted by Sikhs about five issues of community concern:

  • The need for a Sikh ethnic tick box in the Census 2021
  • Amending the Offensive Weapons Bill to ensure there are no restrictions on the Sikh community on the sale, possession and use of the large Sikh Kirpan
  • The absence of a suitable response to the Sacrificing Sikhs report supporting an independent public inquiry on UK involvement in the 1984 Sikh Genocide and anti-Sikh measures taken against Sikhs in the UK
  • The first anniversary of the torture and imprisonment of Jagtar Singh Johal, the 31-year old from Dumbarton
  • The police raids on the homes of five British Sikh activists in Birmingham, Coventry, Leicester and London

Following a legal case in 1983, Sikhs have been recognised as a separate ethnicity in the UK. There is currently a campaign to have this reflected in the next census so that information on Sikhs is available when it comes to the provision of public services.

Regarding the Offensive Weapons Bill, many Sikhs have expressed concern that the community has not been adequately consulted with regard to the Kirpan – a sword worn by Amritdhari (Initiated) Sikhs. the Home Office failed to consult representative Sikh organisations in formulating its policy equality statement released in June 2018 alongside the bill.

There has also been a lack of response to ‘Sacrificing Sikhs’ – the report commissioned by the Sikh Federation UK into British government involvement in the attack on Sri Darbar Sahib in 1984. The report contained a number of damning findings include the fact that Parliament was misled. Many in the Sikh community are demanding an independent public inquiry into UK involvement in the 1984 Sikh Genocide, a position which the Labour party has formally endorsed in its manifesto.

Sunday 4th November will mark the one year anniversary of the abduction and detention of British citizen Jagtar Singh Johal in India. He has been tortured and denied both an independent medical examination and private consular access. He has faced trial by media and has had over 60 court hearings, none of which featured any evidence against him. Three UN rapporteurs have formally raised his case with the Indian authorities and at the UN Human Rights Council.

Following the raids on the homes of British Sikh activists in September, many questions have been left unanswered. All of those targeted were campaigning for the release of Jagtar Singh Johal in India. During the raids, family members including young children and elderly relatives were harassed. The personal details of the activists – none of whom were arrested – were printed in the Indian media, along with quotes from an Indian security official saying that the raids were as a result of Indian diplomatic pressure on British authorities.

The Sikh Federation UK have provided a template letter which Sikhs can use to write to their local MP, asking them to take action on the above points.

 

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Sikh charity worker selected as one of the ‘Women of the Year’

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A volunteer for Sikh ethos organisation SWAT Youth was handpicked as one of 400 guests to attend a ‘Women of the Year’ national lunch, highlighting outstanding female individuals across the UK.

Nari Kaur Sohal, a sevadaar (selfless volunteer) of Sikh Welfare Awareness Team (SWAT) Youth, was invited to the lunch at the Intercontinental Hotel (London) meet on October 15th, where all invitees are considered award winners for their outstanding community contributions.

Nari Kaur is a dedicated sevadaar that helps SWAT Youth run their programmes for children and young people that revolve around Sikh education and general well being. A SWAT Youth statement on the nomination for their sevadaar noted, “Whilst Seva is done from the heart and not for the recognition we cannot overlook this great milestone for Sikh Welfare Awareness Team Youth to have our first Sikh woman sevadaar recognised.”

Women of the Year has recognised, celebrated and inspired women of all backgrounds for over 60 years and continues to shine a light on extraordinary women through an annual lunch, lectures and on-going foundation work.

Sikh anger worldwide as Twitter blocks 1984 Sikh genocide site

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Sikhs across the world have been left shocked and angered at a Twitter block of a prominent Sikh human rights website.

Twitter, one of the world’s most popular social media platforms and most visited sites, is currently blocking any tweet containing a link to www.1984sikhgenocide.org   

The website is a portal from Sikh advocacy group Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) which allows constituents to send pre-drafted emails to their political representative (e.g. Congressmen and Senators in the US, MPs in the UK etc.). More than 25,000 emails have been sent via the website.

This is part of a campaign launched by SFJ on October 21st urging various governments to recognise November 1st as Sikh Genocide Remembrance Day. Through tests, the Sikh Press Association has confirmed the block is nothing to do with a word filter or a webpage security issue.

Twitter has also suspended the personal account (under his own name) of SFJ Legal Advisor Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. Gurpatwant Singh also has his work account which still exists. He said, “This is yet another example of trading human rights for business considerations wherein Twitter has blocked tweets about SFJ’s Sikh genocide commemoration campaign on the behest of Indian authorities”.

This action has sparked the anger of Sikhs across the world who have accused Twitter of suppressing legitimate human rights activism.

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Pav Singh, author of 1984: India’s Guilty Secret, issued a warning to Twitter via a tweet saying: “Indian authorities having been blocking the truth about #1984SikhGenocide for 34 years. @Twitter @TwitterSupport don’t follow suit. Never compromise over Human Rights & Freedom of Speech despite govt pressure.”

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Rahul Tripathi, a journalist at the Indian Express, tweeted on Thursday morning: “Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba met with reps from #Facebook, #Google, #Twitter, #Whatsapp, You Tube, Instagram to prevent misuse of social media sites by undesirable elements / miscreants to spread rumours, cause unrest, incite cyber crimes.” He added: “Gauba asked social media gaints [sic] to take steps & nominate India based grievance redressal officers, develop a monitoring mechanism for time bound preventive & to remove objectionable contents from public view & prompt sharing of information sought by agencies. #lynching.”

It seems likely that the blocking of such a high-profile Sikh genocide website is connected to the Home Secretary’s meeting, although this has not been confirmed.

Twitter have not yet responded to the online tweets about the block, leading to Sikhs being urged to contact Twitter via an online complaint form, which can be accessed here.

Sikh Federation UK slams ‘half-truths’ from senior British diplomat on Sikh community meetings

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The Sikh Federation UK has hit back at British Deputy High Commission Andrew Ayre over his ‘half-truths’ following an interview he gave to the Times of India.

The British Deputy High Commissioner in Chandigarh, India met with several Sikh organisations in Britain on 25th September during a trip to the UK. According to the Sikh Federation UK, there was no discussion about a separate Sikh state, the 2020 Punjab referendum, nor the police raids of Sikh activists’ homes at that meeting. Yet the title of the Times of India piece featuring the interview was titled ‘There’s no legal basis for a separate state: Andrew Ayre’

Instead there was what has been described as a lengthy conversation about the human rights situation in India and an acknowledgement from the Deputy High Commissioner that it is ‘dire’. The Sikh Federation made clear in the meeting that the Foreign Office had totally and consistently failed by excluding India from its annual report on human rights.

Jagtar Singh, a Scottish human rights activist, has been imprisoned in India for nearly a year. The Deputy High Commissioner visited him in prison in Punjab, and then discussed what was said in that meeting at the 25th September meeting despite Jagtar Singh authorising him to discuss it with only his family, his MP and the Sikh Federation. Ayre was rebuked by Jagtar Singh’s family when he met them on 28th September who also told him he lived in ‘an ivory tower in Chandigarh and was ignorant to the long-term suffering and experiences of ordinary Sikhs in Punjab’. In the interview the Deputy High Commissioner said that he saw no evidence of Sikhs being mistreated in Punjab.

Chair of the Sikh Federation UK Bhai Amrik Singh said:

“The interview by Andrew Ayre in The Times of India is an absolute disgrace. He has become a mouthpiece for the Indian state and as far as British Sikhs are concerned he cannot be trusted to represent our interests.”

“He has not had the decency to apologise to the family of Jagtar Singh Johal for a serious breach of confidentiality and shown with his latest outburst he has no sense of compassion or understanding for the plight of Sikhs in Punjab.”

“Foreign Office Ministers have emphasised the need to avoid ‘megaphone diplomacy’ when it comes to India. However, this interview shows it remains a priority for British diplomats that have double standards to keep India happy at the expense of the Sikh minority in the UK and Punjab.”

The full statement from Sikh Federation UK can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/SikhFederationUK/posts/1928091370612406

How I Became A Poet – J. Kaur 

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My name is Jasmine Kaur and I am a poet.

It’s taken me ten years to accept this fact. I still automatically correct people when they
refer to me as one, before having to correct my own mistake. I am definitely a poet.

During my childhood, so few of the writers I came across resembled me or had anything in
common with who I was. This played a role in finding it difficult to identify myself as a poet.
As a child, I used to read a lot, often as a form of escapism. I would write to block out the
reality I was existing in, but I never thought writing would become such an integral part of
my existence later in life.

As a young, ambitious, Sikh Punjabi woman, I have found my voice through poetry. But it
took a while to get here and the journey was not easy by any means. I remember a sleepless
night back in the winter of 2012: I was ploughing through Tumblr and this was the first time
I came across the work of Rupi Kaur. I’d finally found a writer I could relate to in some way
or form. Fast forward two years and Miss Kaur had taken the daunting steps to self-publish
her incredible debut poetry collection Milk and Honey.

Since the age of thirteen I have been battling severe depression and throughout the last five
years of my life, traumatic events occurred that resulted in life threatening consequences. If
I hadn’t picked up a pen and started writing poetry, I don’t think I would be alive and able to
share my experience with you. I used to stay silent regarding my struggle but poetry has
enabled me to lose my fear of being stigmatised. It gave me the opportunity to explore the
darker, more sinister parts of my psyche which I was too ashamed to discuss with a
counsellor or trained professional.

My poetry is my way of expressing my viewpoint on Sikh politics/political struggle, the Sikh
diaspora, Sikh history, female empowerment, human rights, rape/sexual assault, mental
health, taboo subjects in the Punjabi community, and any other issues that are personal to
me. I would fill countless journals but the poetry remained private. However, in 2013
(using Rupi Kaur as my inspiration) I began to upload my poetry onto Instagram. I then
decided to start sharing my work across multiple social media platforms and this sparked my
interest in spoken-word poetry. I haven’t looked back since. It wasn’t until I started sharing
my work publicly that I saw how diverse the world of poetry really is. I have met poets from
all over the world and established a network of friends who are truly dedicated to their
individual political struggle, who I connected with through my poetry.

It is imperative young people get to read work from writers they can identify with, whether
that be writers who look like them, sound like them, or have shared similar experiences to
them. Being a young woman from the Punjabi community, many of the things I say, do and
write are regarded as controversial. I am here to make a difference, to burn each and every
single ivory tower that stands in my way and smash glass ceilings. I am not the woman to
bow down to societal, familial or patriarchal constraints. I want to abolish stereotypes in the
personal, political and professional areas of life for women of colour like myself.
I made a promise to myself that I would one day self-publish my own poetry collection and
this finally came to fruition in 2018. Roses and revolution is a collection of my personal and
political revolutions, which will be available later this year.

I never thought I would become a poet and it definitely did not occur by accident. It was a
combination of different factors – it was a natural process. I strongly believe each Sikh
possesses innate artistic qualities as we hail from the great artists, scholars, poets and
musicians. Sikh scripture is entirely made up of poetry. To be Sikh is to love poetry.

One important piece of advice I have for anyone who wants to share their writing is to stay
true to who you are. I’m saying this from my own personal experiences. Do not exploit
another person’s work. If you use their art as your inspiration, you must give credit where
it’s due. It’s easy to rephrase or copy someone but it’s also harmful and offensive. You
never know the amount of emotional labour that has gone into a writer’s work. Most
importantly, write about what you know. There is no point trying to produce something if it
doesn’t relate to you somehow. Do it for yourself, or for a justified cause you are passionate
about.

Pick up a pen, paintbrush, instrument or whatever your weapon of choice may be and
discover your hidden talent. You never know who you are quietly inspiring.

Roses and Revolution will be coming out later this year. Follow Jasmine Kaur under her
poetry pseudonym fiveriverflow – https://www.instagram.com/fiveriverflow/.

Stage-show on Sikh hate crime begins Hollywood stint

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A critically acclaimed stage-show based on hate crimes against Sikhs is set for a four week run in California, starting from September 20th until October 16th.

Details on the show and tickets are available here.

The Sikh community of the US (approximately 500,000) have suffered from targeted abuse due to mistaken conflations between the Sikh physical identity and terrorism. In 2012 this reached a peak when a white-supremacist invaded Wisconsin’s Oak Creek Gurdwara and shot indiscriminately at worshippers, killing six people.

Put together by Sundeep Morrison (writer/performer) and Amrita Dhaliwal (director), the play is described by producer Jenn Prince as ‘A brave piece of theatre that somehow brings levity and joy to its topical and tragic themes. Sundeep Morrison navigates her characters with grace and humour.’

Sundeep said of her creation, ‘Rag Head was written to spread awareness about the Sikh community’s struggle of being victims of prejudice in the United States. Rag Head illustrates how were are all connected. The only way to stand united as Americans is to educate each other about our differences’.

 

Event details

Location: The Complex Hollywood, The Ruby Theater 6476 Santa Monica Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90038

Show time tickets: Various, available via SundeepMorrison.com

Date: September 20th – October 14th

Note to media: Interview opportunities are available upon request. To review the show, please email sundeepmorrison@yahoo.com. For more info on the show, see SundeepMorrison.com.

Were raids on Sikh homes the result of Indian influence on British police?

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A series of police raids made against Sikh activists across England could have occurred because “Indian police officers could be targeting Sikh activists through British police” according to the Sikh Federation UK.

SFUK made the statement today after questions arose following the raids, which saw no arrests made and property such as passports and laptops confiscated. See the full statement here.

The statement came after West Midlands police released news confirming the raids, saying “Addresses in , and searched as part of CTU investigation in connection with allegations of extremist activity in India and fraud offences.” See the full statement here. Through sources Sikh PA can also confirm an address in London, home to a well known Sikh activist, was also raided.

The addresses are alleged to have been the homes of Sikhs known for speaking out against the Indian government’s human rights abuses which include the current treatment of British citizen Jagtar Singh Johal. The actions of the police prompted the Sikh Federation UK to say they hope “the West Midlands and East Midlands police are not doing the dirty work of the Indian authorities.”

The raids on Sikh homes comes just after the Sikh Federation UK reformed their push for Khalistan, an independent Sikh homeland in India to be made up of Punjab, a movement Indian authorities have regularly decried and attempted to malign as an extremist movement. This portrayal conflicts with the manner of UK Khalistan movement support, which comes in the form of government lobbying, educational talks within the community and push for a democratic movement for a referendum in Punjab. There is no evidence to suggest there is any extremist illegal activity regarding Khalistan in the UK, whilst suggestions there is in nations like Canada have also been directly challenged, with community leaders calling for investigations to provide proof of such allegations.

The Indian state has a history of false statements regarding the nature and threat of pro-Khalistan movements in the UK, with Indian media previously claiming a dossier on Sikh extremism in the UK was handed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Prime Minister David Cameron in 2015, only for Sikh Council UK to prove no such dossier existed or was ever handed to Cameron, as confirmed by the secretary of parliament. This fake news was also reported as fact by the Daily Mail Online. Despite proof the Mail Online report was false and perpetrated by Indian media with an anti-Sikh agenda, a complaint by the Sikh Press Association against the coverage was rejected by the Independent Press Standards Organisation, whilst Indian media also did not report the findings that the dossier did not exist.

On 13th June Cressida Dick wrote to Preet Kaur Gill MP, Chair of the APPG for British Sikhs regarding the 1984 Sikh Genocide Remembrance March. The letter stated that Commander Jane Connors of the Met Police was “in contact with the Indian High Commission to discuss the policing of this event”. The admission caused outrage in the Sikh community, leading to Commander Connors later claiming that the Indian High Commission had not been contacted.

Further details on this situation will be reported when more information comes out.

Nearly £250,000 pledged in single evening for dedicated centre to counter sexual exploitation of vulnerable Sikhs

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A phenomenal fundraising effort last night saw nearly £250,000 raised for a Sikh community initiative to counter the sexual abuse and exploitation of vulnerable Sikhs.

The Sikh Mediation And Rehabilitation Team (SMART) Centre was launched with support from award-winning Sikh community group Sikh Youth UK and TV channel The Sikh Channel in a programme exposing the sexual exploitation of underage Sikh girls. The centre is a ground-breaking initiative to safeguard Sikhs via prevention, intervention and rehabilitation.

More than 900 people have pledged an average of over £100 each on the online JustGiving page while over £50,000 was pledged by callers to the Sikh Channel throughout yesterday evening. One businessman made a stunning pledge to fund two full time members of staff at the centre.

Towards the end of the over four-hour long programme the total donated was increasing at a rate of £1,000 per minute, with presenter Kam Singh constantly updating the audience of the new total.

As donations flooded in online and via pledges to the Sikh Channel studio, they were accompanied by messages of support, thanking Sikh Youth UK for showing leadership on this grave issue, which had led to the creation of the SMART Centre as an independent new resource for the Sikh community.

Addressing Sikhs at home, Sikh Youth UK Coordinator Deepa Singh said as the programme ended last night: ‘Thank you to the Sangat out there, and of course, overall, Mahraaj’ adding: ‘Whatever we can do to serve the kaum [Sikh community-nation] we will continue to serve the kaum and do what we can.’

A total of £500,000 was sought to launch the project which will consist of several interlinked areas. The centre will provide 24-hour support within a Sikh ethos to the primary victims of sexual abuse and exploitation across the UK.

The SMART Centre will also be an independent facility providing mediation between victims, local authorities and law enforcement agencies. The centre will also work to tackle sexual exploitation at a fundamental level by employing intelligence officers to identify online predators and collating evidence on their networks and associations. This evidence will be crucial in facilitating the arrests and prosecution of perpetrators.

These functions are already being carried out by Sikh Youth UK, who on the show exposed using undercover footage religiously motivated paedophiles targeting Sikh girls for sexual exploitation. One had even travelled to a Sikh school to meet an underage Sikh girl for sexual acts.

It has been known for decades that Sikh girls have been targeted by sexual predators with religiously-related motives. However, the issue of sexual exploitation is considered by many to be a taboo, which has prevented adequate support being offered to victims and a lack of awareness of how to identify sexual predators.

Sikh Youth UK have been instrumental in raising awareness of the issue, winning two awards in recent years for doing so. They have worked with local authorities and law enforcement organisations to safeguard the Sikh community, supporting victims of sexual abuse and exploitation across the country and raising awareness of how to protect yourself from sexual predators.

Next month the group will launch an in-depth investigative report into the targeted sexual exploitation of young Sikh females, analysing the history and factors of this exploitation to further educate the community about the dangers posed by religiously-motivated sexual predators.

UPDATE – The final amount raised is £357,012k.