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Female members of the Sikh community across the Midlands are recounting how a series of assaults driven by religious bias has created pervasive terror among their people, forcing many to “radically modify” concerning their day-to-day activities.

String of Events Triggers Concern

Two sexual assaults of Sikh women, each in their twenties, in Walsall and Oldbury, have been reported during the last several weeks. An individual aged 32 has been charged associated with a hate-motivated rape in relation to the alleged Walsall attack.

Such occurrences, coupled with a physical aggression on two elderly Sikh taxi drivers from Wolverhampton, led to a session in the House of Commons at the end of October regarding hate offenses against Sikhs in the region.

Ladies Modifying Habits

A leader working with a women’s aid group based in the West Midlands explained that ladies were modifying their regular habits to ensure their security.

“The fear, the now complete changing of your day-to-day living, that is real. I have not seen that before,” she noted. “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 taking strolls or jogs currently, she indicated. “They are doing this in groups. They are sharing their location with their friends or a family member.

“A violent incident in Walsall causes anxiety for ladies in Coventry as it’s part of the same region,” she emphasized. “There has definitely been a shift in the way women think about their own safety.”

Community Responses and Precautions

Sikh places of worship across the Midlands have begun distributing personal safety devices to females in an effort to keep them safe.

At one Walsall gurdwara, a devoted member remarked that the attacks had “changed everything” for the Sikh community there.

In particular, she expressed she felt unsafe going to the gurdwara on her own, and she cautioned her senior parent to stay vigilant upon unlocking her entrance. “All of us are at risk,” she declared. “Anyone can be attacked day or night.”

A different attendee explained she was taking extra precautions 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.”

Historical Dread Returns

A mother of three expressed: “We stroll together, yet the prevalence of offenses renders the atmosphere threatening.”

“In the past, we didn’t contemplate these defensive actions,” she continued. “I’m looking over my shoulder constantly.”

For someone who grew up locally, the environment 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 said. “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 community representative echoed 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 said. “There’s apprehension about wearing faith-based items such as headwear.”

Authority Actions and Comforting Words

City officials had set up extra CCTV around gurdwaras to comfort residents.

Law enforcement officials stated they were organizing talks with local politicians, female organizations, and local representatives, and going to worship centers, to discuss women’s safety.

“It’s been a very difficult week for the community,” a high-ranking official told a gurdwara committee. “No one deserves to live in a community feeling afraid.”

The council affirmed it was “collaborating closely with law enforcement and the Sikh population, as well as broader groups, to offer aid and comfort”.

A different municipal head commented: “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.