After the terror attack in an Australian Coffee shop a few months ago, Sikhs have faced much of the backlash. The Sikhs are being mistaken for another religion due to the turban and beard.
Unlike Canada and the UK, the level of Sikh awareness is among the lowest in the world due to a small Sikh population.
One Sikh truck driver named Amar Singh was called a “terrorist” by a an Australian and told that he should be on the “Terror watch list.”
The Sikh said he was shocked as he was never mistaken for a Muslim in the past.
Leaders of the Sikh community in Australia have said that after the increase in the terror level many in the community are feeling the anti-Islamic sentiment in every part of the country.
The leader stated the people are mistaking the Sikh Turban and beards with terrorism and Sikhs are facing the racism everyday in their lives.
Even the community leader was called a “terrorist” and to “go back” and a young child called him a “bad man” in a supermarket.
The most recent census put Sikhs at only 72,000 of the total Australian population which is a 177 percent increase from the last census.
After the recent backlash, the Sikh groups are now thinking about spreading awareness about Sikh beliefs and values and considering it a “top priority.”. The backlash has primarily been verbal abuse and no cases of violence have yet been reported.