Above: Mr Justice Mota Singh, now 'Sir Mota Singh'.
Current Events
Despite Challenges, Majority Are Proud Sikh-Britons
DIVYA TALWAR
Three-quarters of the United Kingdom's Sikhs have experienced racism but 95% are proud of being born or living in Britain, a survey suggests.
The first British Sikh Report ("BSR") has been launched in the UK Parliament.
The report is based on an online questionnaire of 650 Sikhs, who were asked about issues including politics, religion and culture.
It is one of the largest studies of Sikh-Britons and gives a more in-depth insight than the 2011 Census.
Sikh-Briton MP Paul Singh Uppal welcomed the report.
The Conservative MP for Wolverhampton South West said: "It is great to see a proactive approach being taken by the Sikh-Briton community to highlight their concerns, wants and needs in such a comprehensive way. ''
Labour leader Ed Miliband said: "The Sikh-Briton community has made and continues to make a huge contribution to our nation.
"I welcome the British Sikh Report in its attempt at engaging politicians with the Sikh-Briton community."
The report highlights a number of recommendations to tackle racism, including the implementation of an online resource for reporting racism and hate crime against Sikh-Britons, similar to the Tell Mama programme for the Muslim community.
Asif Sadiq, chair of the National Association of Muslim Police, said: "It is clearly shocking that such high numbers of Sikh-Britons have been victims of racism.
"Maybe Sikhs are being targeted because they are perceived to be Muslim by some people, it is therefore very important to understand the nature of the racist incidents that Sikhs are facing."
Jasvir Singh, chair of the BSR, said: "Sikhs have a rich history in Britain. There has been a Sikh presence in Britain for almost 160 years.
"The aim of the report is to develop an understanding of the key needs and issues within the community.
"It also provides an invaluable resource for government and Sikh and other faith organisations to help them understand the views and opinions of Sikh-Britons."
One of the central tenets of the Sikh faith is equality for all, including gender equality.
But the report suggests only 55% believe there is gender equality within the Sikh community.
Among the women questioned, 43% said they had experienced discrimination based on their gender, compared with 14% of men.
Jasvir Singh said: "This study gives Sikhs an insight into their own community and raises some important issues and concerns that Sikhs need to address themselves.
"It's hoped we can use this information to take positive steps and changes."
The report suggested a high degree of political engagement within the Sikh community - 70.9% said they voted in the 2010 general election, while 23.6% said they had not voted in any elections during the last four years.
The inaugural report has been put together by a team of Sikh professionals and academics.
The BSR will now be published annually with the aim of highlighting the changing attitudes and concerns of the Sikh-Briton population.
SUMMARY OF THE REPORT
- - Of those who experienced racism, 53.4% said the racist incident had occurred in the last 18 months
- - 94.1% of Sikh-Britons are interested in Sikh culture and heritage
- - 96% would like to see more Sikhs on mainstream British TV
- - Three out of 10 identified with a caste, but only 3% thought caste was important
- - 71% go to the gurdwara at least once a month
- - 10.6% are a carer for someone in their family
- - 71% of British Sikh women who have experienced gender discrimination have done so within their extended family
[Courtesy: BBC News. Edited for sikhchic.com]
June 6, 2013
Conversation about this article
1: Kiepal Singh (Daytona Beach, Florida, USA), June 06, 2013, 10:10 PM.
Very interest findings which will provide motivation and direction for the initiation of reforms within our community.
2: Roop Dhillon (Reigate, Surrey, England), June 07, 2013, 6:39 AM.
This is encouraging ... especially the statistics related to an interest in our heritage. Although realistically and primarily I see English as being the future medium for the vast majority (and materials on Sikhi are very much available in this language). For those who might want to study Gurmukhi and to read the Guru Granth without the filter of interpretation by others or want to connect with the language heritage, there is also hope. I believe slowly Sikhs in the west will stop and decide not to take up Hindi and other unconnected languages (unless they want to work in Mumbai films, though Punjabi language films are on the up) and actually focus on what aspects of Punjabi language are feasible. In my mind it is now time to ignore the mehfils of the old guard which I have attended and found to be self-important, self-indulgent and disconnected with UK-raised Sikhs and Punjabis. I think an organization such as CitySikhs could organize an event where there are western-born and bred Sikh speakers focused on our arts as much as our religion, for that too is a major part of culture. Perhaps someone like me could stand up and read not disconnected poetry but some short stories from my books to show them how the language may be aligned with our interests and experiences in the west, in addition to another guest born in the UK who sings in Punjabi, such as Amarjeet Bolla and maybe an expert on Sikhi. And Sikh women as well as youth on their views of Sikhi / Punjabi and gender. This should be chaired more like the western conferences and forums. I believe something like this could work. And it could deal with some of the issues bought up by these stats.