A 10-year-old Sikh girl in London was branded ‘terrorist and dangerous’ as she sought to play with her friends. A disheartened father put out a video of the girl on Twitter, where she explained her ordeal.
London: You may ask as to what’s in a look and dismiss it off casually. But ask 10-year-old Munsimar Kaur, a Sikh girl living in London and she will weep tears, because of her looks.
Just like any other Sikh, this child too wears a turban, but it is this turban that became the bone of contention. The little kid wanted to play with her kids, but the other kids turned her away, likening her to a terrorist. The incident took place in a southeast London playground earlier this week.
“On Monday, two boys who looked 14 to 17 and two girls who looked like they were in their late teens were playing a game. When I asked to play it – as the queue was a mile long – they said loud and clear: ‘No you can’t play because you are a terrorist.’ Obviously, this broke my heart, but I kept my head up and went away,” the girl said.
Her ordeal didn’t end here. The next day she went back and made friends with a nine-year-old girl. But the 10-year-old girl says, “Her mum called her and said she can’t play with me because I was dangerous. She said sorry, but I knew it was not her fault.”
Unfazed by the inhuman experience she had to face, the brave girl spoke out against it on Twitter, which her father tweeted.
Racist Park @GLL_UK
— Sikh Dad (@sikhdad) August 8, 2019
My eldest daughter Munsimar Kaur, aged 10, tells her own true story. Today it was my child tomorrow it could be yours. #sikh pic.twitter.com/NwR4iFUUE7
Racism against Sikhs is a growing phenomenon.
A media report quoted Jasveer Singh, Sikh press association as saying, “Sikhs have become so used to, some barely react to such comments as ‘Bin Laden and more’. However, the UK tends to overlook the amount of racism that is there against Sikhs.”
On the other hand, authorities where the incident took place said, “The incident was not witnessed by our staff or reported at the time. So, we would like to speak to the family and find out what’s happened.”
Last Updated Aug 10, 2019, 3:12 PM IST