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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 deep-seated anxiety in their circles, pushing certain individuals to “radically modify” concerning their day-to-day activities.

Series of Attacks Causes Fear

Two sexual assaults of Sikh women, both in their 20s, occurring in Walsall and Oldbury, have been reported in recent weeks. A 32-year-old man has been charged related to a faith-based sexual assault linked to the alleged Walsall attack.

Those incidents, combined with a brutal assault targeting two older Sikh cab drivers in Wolverhampton, prompted a session in the House of Commons in late October regarding hate offenses against Sikhs within the area.

Women Altering Daily Lives

A representative working with a women’s aid group based in the West Midlands commented that women were modifying their regular habits for their own safety.

“The terror, the total overhaul of daily life, is genuine. I’ve never witnessed this previously,” she said. “For the first time since establishing Sikh Women’s Aid, women have expressed: ‘We’ve ceased pursuing our passions out of fear for our safety.’”

Women were “not comfortable” visiting fitness centers, or going for walks or runs currently, she indicated. “They now undertake these activities collectively. They notify friends or relatives of their whereabouts.

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

Public Reactions and Defensive Steps

Sikh temples across the Midlands are now handing out personal safety devices to females as a measure for their protection.

Within a Walsall place of worship, a frequent visitor remarked that the incidents had “changed everything” for local Sikh residents.

Notably, she said she felt unsafe going to the gurdwara on her own, and she advised her elderly mother to stay vigilant while answering the door. “Everyone is a potential victim,” she affirmed. “Assaults can occur anytime, day or night.”

A different attendee mentioned she was adopting further protective steps while commuting to her job. “I try and find parking nearer to the bus station,” she commented. “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 woman raising three girls remarked: “My daughters and I take walks, but current crime levels make it feel highly dangerous.

“We’ve never thought about taking these precautions before,” she added. “I’m always watching my back.”

For someone who grew up locally, the mood recalls the discrimination endured by elders back in the 70s and 80s.

“We’ve experienced all this in the 1980s when our mums used to go past where the community hall is,” she said. “The National Front members would sit there, spitting, hurling insults, or unleashing dogs. Somehow, I’m reliving that era. Mentally, I feel those days have returned.”

A local councillor agreed with this, noting individuals sensed “we’ve regressed to an era … marked by overt racism”.

“Individuals are afraid to leave their homes,” she said. “Many hesitate to display religious symbols like turbans or scarves.”

Official Responses and Reassurances

City officials had provided more monitoring systems in the vicinity of places of worship to comfort residents.

Law enforcement officials confirmed they were conducting discussions with public figures, female organizations, and public advocates, along with attending religious sites, to address female security.

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

Local government affirmed they had been “engaging jointly with authorities, the Sikh public, and wider society to deliver assistance and peace of mind”.

One more local authority figure stated: “We were all shocked by the awful incident in Oldbury.” 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.