Hardeep Singh

I was keen to watch the BBC documentary Being Muslim After 9/11 not least because I anticipated reference to the first person killed in retribution for 9/11, Balbir Singh Sodhi, a Sikh gas station owner from Mesa, Arizona. His murderer, Frank Silva Roque, was clear on his intent when he told a waiter, ‘I'm going to go out and shoot some towel heads.’ The Sikh turban and beard are conflated by ignorant bigots with the attire of Osama bin Laden and the black turban-clad misogynists of the Taliban.  Muslims have indeed suffered since 9/11, but sadly, non-Muslim victims of the post-9/11 backlash were remarkably not mentioned once in the hour-long documentary, which aired on BBC Two this week.

British Sikhs have long been considered a model minority and an integration success story. The core teachings of Sikhism promote equality for all human beings. This is not merely in word, but deed. Go to any gurdwara anywhere in the world and you can get a free vegetarian meal, regardless of who you are. Decades of good will for British Sikhs has been damaged because of the action of one dishonest Sikh heritage monster Over the years, Britain has made legal accommodations for Sikhs. Turbaned Sikhs have an exemption from wearing a helmet on a motorbike, famously satirised in the British sitcom Only Fools and Horses with the ‘Del Boy turban helmet’.

Membership of Angela Rayner’s new ‘Islamophobia’ working group has been announced. The group has been set up ‘to provide government with a working definition of Anti-Muslim Hatred/Islamophobia which is reflective of a wide range of perspectives and priorities of British Muslims’. The Labour party, the mayor of London and many Labour-led councils previously adopted the contested all-party-parliamentary group (APPG) definition, but Keir Starmer’s government distanced itself from the definition last year, confirming it wasn’t ‘in line’ with the Equality Act 2010, due to its conflation of race and religion. Islamophobia, the definition claimed, was a ‘type of racism’.

Keir Starmer is facing growing pressure to a launch a national review into grooming gangs, but so far the Prime Minister is holding firm. 'This doesn’t need more consultation, it doesn’t need more research, it just needs action. There have been many, many reviews…frankly, it’s time for action,’ he said yesterday. Starmer's comments reinforce the position of Jess Phillips, the safeguarding minister, who last week refused Oldham Council’s request for a government-led public inquiry into grooming gangs in the town. But what's the real reason Labour is so reluctant to probe these appalling crimes? Is Phillips reluctant to give the go ahead to an inquiry that might ask difficult and sensitive questions about the identity of the perpetrators?

A grassroots campaign group called ‘The Muslim Vote’ is aiming to capitalise on the success of pro-Gaza candidates at the local election by issuing a set of 18 ‘demands’ of Keir Starmer. The organisation seeks to 'punish' MPs who fail to back a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel. It says that Labour must 'return the Zionist money', bin the government’s new extremism definition and slap a travel ban on pro-war Israeli politicians. The group says its members will turn to other parties if Starmer doesn't listen up. Not all the demands made by ‘The Muslim Vote’ relate to Gaza On the question of Gaza, Labour is in an almighty pickle.

News of a ‘large-scale disturbance’ at a Kabaddi tournament in Alvaston, Derby over the weekend has left a community in shock. Four people ended up in hospital, and four men were arrested on suspicion of possession of a firearm and violent disorder. Video footage of the disorder has been widely shared on social media – several sent it me via WhatsApp – and it makes for grim viewing. In one video, gun shots appear to be fired, with crowds fleeing the scene and someone saying ‘there is the gun’ in Punjabi. Another video shows chaotic scenes with men brawling. Some can be seen brandishing weapons (including swords); some have hoodies up and faces covered. What’s normally a family friendly environment for Kabaddi fans was quickly and tragically turned into a war zone.

More Christians are killed in Nigeria for their faith than anywhere else in the world. Of the 5,621 people murdered worldwide in 2022 for their belief in Christ, almost nine in ten died in Nigeria, according to the charity Open Doors. On average, this equates to 14 Christians killed every single day last year in Nigeria. Many more Christians are being kidnapped, and there is little sign of this terrible violence ending any time soon. Such horrifying figures are hard for us in the West to comprehend; we take freedom of religion – a protected right enshrined in law – for granted. But despite the unending and seemingly escalating cycle of persecution, few outside Nigeria seem to care. The devastating reality for many Nigerians is becoming increasingly hard to ignore.

Terror threats from Islamist and far-right terrorists are depressingly familiar to Brits, but other faiths are not immune from the plague of extremists who might seek to harm others. A recent report by Colin Bloom, the government's faith engagement advisor, touched on lesser-known ideologies like ‘Buddhist nationalism’ and ‘Hindu nationalism’. It also raised concerns about ‘Sikh extremism’. But how much of a problem is this particular form of radicalism in Britain? ‘Small pockets of Sikh communities’ in Britain are involved with ‘subversive, sectarian and discriminatory activities,’ according to the report. The numbers here are small. According to the 2021 census, there are 524,000 Sikhs in England and Wales, which equates to just under 1 per cent of the population.

Leicester is sometimes held up as a success story in multicultural Britain. The city is a melting pot where people of all creeds and colours live side-by-side. However, recent events have tarnished that reputation. Over the weekend, once again there were violent clashes between Hindus and Muslims in the east of the city. Leicestershire Police announced last night that a total of 47 arrests have been made, for offences ranging from assault to violent disorder. On Saturday, an ‘unplanned protest’ by a group of Hindu young men triggered a counterprotest by members of the Muslim community. Young men can be seen in video footage with their hoods up and faces covered (wearing covid masks and balaclavas), walking the streets in large groups looking menacing.