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Female members of the Sikh community across the Midlands are describing how a series of hate crimes based on faith has created pervasive terror in their circles, compelling some to “change everything” regarding their everyday habits.

Series of Attacks Causes Fear

Two sexual assaults targeting Sikh females, both young adults, in Walsall and Oldbury, have been reported during the last several weeks. A 32-year-old man faces charges in connection with a religiously aggravated rape linked to the alleged Walsall attack.

These events, combined with a brutal assault on two elderly Sikh taxi drivers from Wolverhampton, resulted in a parliamentary gathering in late October about anti-Sikh hate crimes in the region.

Ladies Modifying Habits

An advocate associated with a support organization across the West Midlands explained that ladies were modifying their regular habits to protect themselves.

“The fear, the now complete changing of your day-to-day living, that is real. I have not seen that before,” she said. “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” attending workout facilities, or walking or running at present, she said. “They are doing this in groups. They are sharing their location with their friends or a family member.

“An assault in Walsall will frighten females in Coventry since it’s within the Midlands,” she said. “There has definitely been a shift in the way women think about their own safety.”

Community Responses and Precautions

Sikh gurdwaras across the Midlands have begun distributing protective alarms to women to help ensure their security.

Within a Walsall place of worship, a regular attender mentioned that the events had “transformed everything” for the Sikh community there.

Notably, she revealed she felt unsafe visiting the temple alone, and she cautioned her senior parent to be careful when opening her front door. “We’re all targets,” she said. “Anyone can be attacked day or night.”

A different attendee mentioned she was taking extra precautions during her travels to work. “I try and find parking nearer to the bus station,” she noted. “I put paath [prayer] in my headphones but it’s on a very low volume, to the point where I can still hear cars go past, I can still hear surroundings around me.”

Echoes of Past Anxieties

A mother of three expressed: “We go for walks, the girls and I, and it just feels very unsafe at the moment with all these crimes.

“We’ve never thought about taking these precautions before,” she continued. “I’m looking over my shoulder constantly.”

For someone who grew up locally, the atmosphere is reminiscent of 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, noting individuals sensed “we’ve gone back in time … where there was a lot of open racism”.

“Individuals are afraid to leave their homes,” she emphasized. “People are scared to wear the artefacts of their religion; turbans or head coverings.”

Authority Actions and Comforting Words

City officials had provided additional surveillance cameras around gurdwaras to ease public concerns.

Authorities announced they were holding meetings with local politicians, ladies’ associations, and community leaders, as well as visiting faith establishments, to talk about ladies’ protection.

“This has been a challenging period for residents,” a high-ranking official told a temple board. “No one deserves to live in a community feeling afraid.”

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

Another council leader commented: “Everyone was stunned by the horrific event in Oldbury.” She noted that officials cooperate with law enforcement through a security alliance to combat aggression towards females and bias-driven offenses.