Europe News Desk!!! Labor supporters have complained to the party after British Sikh MP Preet Kaur Gill sent a series of WhatsApp messages downplaying allegations of sexual abuse inside gurdwaras. According to messages seen by The Guardian, Gill says those calling Sikh temples unsafe are using very dangerous language and urges them to make a written apology. Labor councilor Naveen Johal, who was in the group to whom Gill sent the messages, told The Guardian, “I was very surprised by his comments, because there are real concerns about security at UK shrines.” Her messages were even more surprising considering Gill (a former social worker) comes from a child protection background.
The UK charity and victim support service Sikh Women’s Aid (SWA), which surveyed 839 Sikh women in the UK, found that almost two-thirds of them had experienced domestic abuse, leading to an uproar over the WhatsApp messages. The Guardian noted that some respondents said they had been abused by faith leaders, with the report warning about the lack of security offered by gurdwaras. The SWA, in its report, had said that it has advocated several cases where sexual abuse and misconduct allegedly took place in gurdwaras and religious places. After the report was published, an angry Gill posted a series of messages on the WhatsApp group Sikhs in Labour. In one of the messages shared by The Guardian, he wrote, “Where is your evidence that Guru Ghars (gurdwaras) are not safe?” This is disrespectful, you should apologize to the Sikh community. He said, calling Guru Ghars unsafe is a very dangerous language. Please apologize in writing. Gill also said in one of his messages that the rape victims at the particular gurdwara had consensual relations with their accused assailants.
–IANS
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