Sikh groups call for Gurdwara participation in Government’s consultation for protecting places of worship

By Bavleen Kaur

Sikh groups are encouraging participation in the UK government’s ‘Protecting places of worship consultation’ after the submission date was extended from May to June.

The consultation is aimed at individuals or organisations in England and Wales that are interested in “security of places of worship and other faith related locations, including schools and community centres.”

The Nishkam group have led calls encouraging Sikhs to participate in the consultation and provide individual feedback for the government so an informed decision can be made in ensuring security for Gurdwaras and other places of worship in the UK.

The purpose of the consultation is to better understand security measures already in place and what more can be done in the future for places of worship with the help from the government. Every faith is different and has different needs, to ensure all the citizens in the UK regardless of their ethnicity, faith, culture feels safe in their place of worship, the government launched this consultation to show support towards everyone.

Safety has been a huge concern recently for all Britain’s ethnic minorities in their places of worship, with a documented rise in hate-crime in the UK. The consultation has been put in place to provide support to help protect places of worship from these crimes. The Sikh Press Association understands many Sikhs have been targets for hate-crimes, largely in the forms of abuse and/or graffiti, in-and-around Gurdwaras.

Most hate-crimes against Sikhs are believed to occur due to a mistaken conflation about the appearance of a Sikh with that of a terrorist or fundamentalist. The Network of Sikh organisation’s Lord Singh said in a 2018 speech at roundtable debate on the British government’s Action Against Hate program, “There are no comparative statistics on hate-crimes suffered by different religions to justify partiality” on the lack of inclusion of Sikhs.

It is believed that one of the reasons Sikhs are more vulnerable to these acts of hate-crime is because of the Gurdwara’s open door policy.  It is believed that the enforcement of the rules that no individual is turned away at the door unless they are intoxicated or carrying tobacco has resulted in individuals causing hate-crime, as aggravated people can demand to have full access to the premises.

According to their website, the UK government aims to provide religious freedom to every community in their place of worship quoting Home secretary Priti Patel; “The Government’s priority is to preserve open and free worship”.

More information on the consultation can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/protecting-places-of-worship-consultation The consultation was set to close on 10 May 2020 but has been extended to June 28. Individuals and organisations belonging to any faith are encouraged to complete it.