Congratulating the 10 Sikh MPs elected recently to the United Kingdom’s House of Commons, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Sunday appealed to them to work collectively to spread awareness about Sikhism and put a stop to hate crimes against the community.
Asserting that from the time of the first Sikh settlers in 1911 to significant migration of Sikhs in the 1950’s, Sukhbir said that Sikhs have made immense contributions to various walks of life in the United Kingdom to become the fourth largest religious group. “It is a source of great pride for the Sikh community worldwide that 10 members from the community have been elected as MPs…The mandate had also given an opportunity to the Sikh MPs to create awareness about the community and put a complete stop to hate crimes against community members,” he said.
Sukhbir said that while the UK had taken a number of steps including observing National Sikh Awareness and Heritage Month, more needed to be done to sensitize people worldwide about Sikhism as well as the Sikh Kakaars including the turban. “This can be done through public dialogues and spreading awareness about the Sikh religion as well as its principles”.