Anti-Sikh sentiment

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Anti-Sikh sentiment (also known as Sikhophobia^[1]) is fear or prejudice against Sikhs. Anti-Sikh sentiment can be motivated by an ethnic hatred of Sikhs or religious hatred of Sikhism, but in Western countries (especially the US and UK^[2]) it can also be fuelled by Islamophobia, stemming from a conflation of Sikhs and Muslims due to the racialization of Islamophobia, with Sikhs sharing the same racial background with many Muslims.^[3][4][2] Sikhs have been targets of hate crimes and discrimination due to various reasons such as appearance (turban, baptized Sikh, having uncut hair) language and the colour of their skin. Therefore, both Sikh men and women are at an increased risk of suffering from racism because of these intersectional ways of oppression that can impact the way Sikhs are treated in society.

Historically, anti-Sikh discrimination began in the roots of India. With a prominent Hindu government and institutions, Sikh's were looked down upon due to the differences with class (Sikhs being farmers), culture, and religious practices. This being said, in the 1980s, Sikh separatists in Punjab demanded an independent homeland, called Khalistan. In 1984, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi ordered a massive military action against those who were sheltering in Amritsar's Golden Temple, the faith's holiest shrine.^[5]

In modern times it is not just the cultural and religious difference, there is overlapping forms of oppression that hatred is fuelled, such as anti-immigration, appearance, class, religious practices and the misdirected islamophobia.^[6][7]

Attacks on Sikhs have increased in the aftermath of Islamic terrorist attacks or major political/military events in the Middle East, as Sikhs are often mistakenly perceived as being Muslims.^[2] Since 2020, anti-Sikh racism has grown online, in-person, and systematically across the world.^[2] Sikh gurdwaras when targeted are often vandalized by spray-painting Islamophobic or white-supremacist messages or imagery.^[2]

In present times, Sikhs are being attacked and hate crimes. In particular, suburban areas where there is a less dense Sikh communities may be more prone to hate crimes.^[8] These hate crimes can be associated with their appearance, religion and language barriers in a Western societies that are not accepting of the community. Sikhs have claimed that anti-Sikh hatred has been ignored by local governments and policy-makers despite recent rises in anti-Sikh crimes and incidents.^[2] Sikhs have increased educational awareness campaigns worldwide on who Sikhs are to decrease the incidence of mistargeted Islamophobic attacks on Sikhs.^[2]