LONDON: Sikh extremism and Hindu nationalism are emerging threats facing the UK that have grown under the noses of the British authorities whilst they were focused on other threats, such as Islamist extremism, a report commissioned by the UK government, when Boris Johnson was PM, has found.
Whilst the aim of the recently published Bloom Review, written by independent faith engagement adviser Colin Bloom, was to provide recommendations on how to make relations between the state and faith groups stronger, it ended up devoting an entire chapter to threats from faith extremism, with by far the largest space dedicated to Sikh extremism.
The report, based on 21,000 public responses and interviews with experts, calls on the government to investigate extremist activity within the Sikh community, stating there is an “extremely vocal and aggressive minority of British Sikhs who can be described as pro-Khalistan extremists, promoting an ethno-nationalist agenda. Some of these extremists have been known to support and incite violence and intimidation in their ambition to establish an independent state called Khalistan, the physical borders of which are largely shared with specific parts of the Punjab state in India. Interestingly, this territorial claim does not include the part of the Punjabin Pakistan. It is not entirely clear if the motivation for these extremists is faith-based or not.”
It quotes respondents who say that extremists are now controlling the leading gurdwaras in England and using funds raised for worship to propagate Khalistan andallowing youth cramps to brainwash and recruit the youth to follow their “division agenda”. Many respondents express concerns the UK government is not able to distinguish between “extremist agendas of power” and mainstream Sikh communities.
Bloom calls on the government and the civil service to “more effectively discern” between those who genuinely represent the Sikh faith and those who are exploiting the Sikh faith as a vehicle to promote divisive interests.
“The government must allow for the proper level of engagement with British Sikh communities, but it must also impede the advance of subversive groups which attempt to fracture majority Sikh communities and negatively affect the stability of our society,” Bloom says, saying he suspectsthat there is an overlap of membership between some British Sikh groups and proscribed or previously proscribed groups.
He says the government must ensure neither the census nor the British political system become entangled in divisive or subversive agendas.
Bloom spoke to politicians,academics and officials who said they have been threatened by aggressive Sikh activists who abuse or bully anyone who criticises them. Many have been intimidated and called “traitors”, the report said. Those in public office said they had been pressured by Sikh activists to do what they demanded, as they were told these groups have power over the ballot box.
The report also expresses alarm at nationalist movements within the British Hindu diaspora that it says have become “somewhat more prevalent” in recent years. “This can be seen in the sophisticated though ultimately small mobilisation of Hindu nationalist activists who reportedly targeted public figures and politicians they considered hostile to their agenda in the 2019 UK general election, and the recent tensions in Leicester. In contrast to earlier generations of British Hindus, it appears a small minority are now becoming more passionate about their identification with Hindu political interests in India,” it says, warning nationalist movements that exploit religious rhetoric to incite prejudicial views may destabilise British society.
Whilst the aim of the recently published Bloom Review, written by independent faith engagement adviser Colin Bloom, was to provide recommendations on how to make relations between the state and faith groups stronger, it ended up devoting an entire chapter to threats from faith extremism, with by far the largest space dedicated to Sikh extremism.
The report, based on 21,000 public responses and interviews with experts, calls on the government to investigate extremist activity within the Sikh community, stating there is an “extremely vocal and aggressive minority of British Sikhs who can be described as pro-Khalistan extremists, promoting an ethno-nationalist agenda. Some of these extremists have been known to support and incite violence and intimidation in their ambition to establish an independent state called Khalistan, the physical borders of which are largely shared with specific parts of the Punjab state in India. Interestingly, this territorial claim does not include the part of the Punjabin Pakistan. It is not entirely clear if the motivation for these extremists is faith-based or not.”
It quotes respondents who say that extremists are now controlling the leading gurdwaras in England and using funds raised for worship to propagate Khalistan andallowing youth cramps to brainwash and recruit the youth to follow their “division agenda”. Many respondents express concerns the UK government is not able to distinguish between “extremist agendas of power” and mainstream Sikh communities.
Bloom calls on the government and the civil service to “more effectively discern” between those who genuinely represent the Sikh faith and those who are exploiting the Sikh faith as a vehicle to promote divisive interests.
“The government must allow for the proper level of engagement with British Sikh communities, but it must also impede the advance of subversive groups which attempt to fracture majority Sikh communities and negatively affect the stability of our society,” Bloom says, saying he suspectsthat there is an overlap of membership between some British Sikh groups and proscribed or previously proscribed groups.
He says the government must ensure neither the census nor the British political system become entangled in divisive or subversive agendas.
Bloom spoke to politicians,academics and officials who said they have been threatened by aggressive Sikh activists who abuse or bully anyone who criticises them. Many have been intimidated and called “traitors”, the report said. Those in public office said they had been pressured by Sikh activists to do what they demanded, as they were told these groups have power over the ballot box.
The report also expresses alarm at nationalist movements within the British Hindu diaspora that it says have become “somewhat more prevalent” in recent years. “This can be seen in the sophisticated though ultimately small mobilisation of Hindu nationalist activists who reportedly targeted public figures and politicians they considered hostile to their agenda in the 2019 UK general election, and the recent tensions in Leicester. In contrast to earlier generations of British Hindus, it appears a small minority are now becoming more passionate about their identification with Hindu political interests in India,” it says, warning nationalist movements that exploit religious rhetoric to incite prejudicial views may destabilise British society.