Christian conversion event cancelled after Sikh complaints

A “National Sikh Consultation” based on “Calling Sikhs to Christ” has been cancelled over a week before it was scheduled to take place after action by the Sikh community.

News of the event, which provocatively was specifically aimed at converting Sikhs, broke on Tuesday (6^th June). Scheduled for 15^th June at the Ilford High Road Baptist Church (East London, UK), the event was confirmed as cancelled this afternoon.

Local Sikh community figure and Labour Party councillor of the borough of Redbridge Jas Athwal released a statement on the cancellation of the event, after being asked to act on the situation by his constituents. In the statement, Athwal explained “Events that target specific religious communities…undermines the spirit of mutual understanding and cooperation…in Redbridge”.

As the poster of the event went viral, Sikh complaints were widespread, with a belief the event was designed to provoke and antagonise the community.

Across India and mainly in Punjab, Christian missionary groups have been accused of coercing vulnerable and poverty stricken Sikhs into converting with unfulfilled promises of payment and support. Last year two men were even arrested for “forced conversions” of Sikhs into Christianity.

Suspicions about why there is such focus by Christian groups (which includes mass funding) to target Sikhs specifically has raised questions about whether there is a more sinister agenda to dilute Sikh spirit which is behind some of the biggest activist movements in recent history, such as the #FarmersProtest. There is no evidence to suggest Sikhs are more likely to become Christian than any other faith. An explosion in further understanding of the Sikh faith in the last 10 years has actually led to countless Sikhs becoming closer to their faith, thanks to the work of groups that use the internet to connect with the community, like Basics Of Sikhi, who made the video below on the issue.

Insight into the groups behind the now cancelled event has revealed a deep and long-running effort to convert Sikhs into Christians.

Speaking on the issue, Sikh Press Association Senior Press Officer Jasveer Singh said:

“The backlash from within the global Sikh community towards this callous event is understandable. Whilst every faith group will consider their own faith superior, to present this belief so confrontationally in face of one specific group was always going to cause rifts, and those behind the event would be aware of this, making it a direct attempt to provoke the Sikh community.

“There is also a long history of Christian missionaries acting in a predatory fashion, targeting those perceived as vulnerable, promising them miracles and sometimes even money. In the UK, such Christian conversion events prey on insecurities minority communities like Sikhs can have, which can stem from being the ‘other’ whilst living in a Christian country.

“Cancelling the event was the right thing to do. However, there remains an ongoing issue of this agenda to target Sikhs, for whatever reasons, and this will be explored and resisted by the panthic (Sikh path/community focused) community.”