Living as a Sikh in Britain today

Hi, I'm Mrs. Afshan, and welcome to today's lesson. Today, we're going to explore what it means to live as a Sikh in Britain today. We'll look at the contribution Sikhs make to society, as well as some of the challenges they face, including discrimination. We'll also learn how Sikhs live their faith and work with others for the good of all. The lesson is called Living as a Sikh in Britain today. From the unit, Sikhs, what does Khalsa mean to Sikhs today? The learning outcome of today's lesson is I can explain how Sikhs contribute to the UK and how some face discrimination. Before we begin, let's look at some of the keywords we will be using in our lesson today. The words are contribution, turban, beliefs, and discrimination. Contribution is the act of giving or adding something. Turban is a traditional head covering worn by many Sikh men and women as part of their faith. Beliefs, strongly held ideas or opinions, especially those connected to religion or values. And finally, discrimination, when someone is treated unfairly or badly because of their religion, race, gender, or appearance. Let's say those words together one more time. Contribution, turban, beliefs, discrimination. Great. Our lesson today has two cycles. First, we're going to look at what challenges do Sikhs face in Britain. Here we have Sam. Sam explains how we use social science in religious education. She says, "Social scientists are interested in how people live, where they live, and how different factors affect them. We can better understand people's worldview by looking at photographs, analyzing data, or listen to personal stories. We can survey or interview people to find out more." In this lesson, we can use case studies to learn about what it's like to be a Sikh living in the UK, including some of the challenges they face. This will help us better understand their worldviews. Izzy and Sofia want to explore the challenges Sikhs might face in Britain. They plan to ask different Sikhs about their experiences. Izzy questions, "Can Sikhs follow their religion freely in the UK?" Sofia's thinking, "Does being Sikh affect their daily life in Britain?" Let's join Izzy and Sofia to find out more. Izzy talks to Giani Pradeep, who has a Sikh worldview and is a Sikh leader from London, to find out about the Sikh experience of religion's freedom in Britain. Izzy asks, "Can you follow your beliefs freely in the UK, and why is that important to you?" Giani Pradeep replies, "Yes, I can follow my beliefs freely in the UK, and I really value that because my beliefs are very important to me." Giani Pradeep explains more. "As a Sikh leader living in Britain, I'm able to practice my faith and speak openly about Sikh beliefs. I often visit schools and places of worship to help others learn about Sikhi, and I'm always treated with respect. This shows that the UK supports and respects our freedom of religion." Izzy and Sofia now talks to Mandeep, who is a British Sikh from London. They ask, "What kind of support do Sikhs get in the UK to live their faith openly?" Let's find out from Mandeep. Mandeep says, "Sikhs, like me, get a lot of support in the UK to live our faith openly and freely, and they feel respected for their beliefs." Mandeep shares, "As a Sikh, I'm allowed to wear my turban and Kara as part of my uniform, so I don't have to hide important parts of my religion. Also, because my turban is very important to me, I don't have to wear a helmet when I ride my motorcycle. These kind of rules help me practice my beliefs freely every day." Time for a check. How do rules in the UK help Sikhs who wear turbans? They can take off their turbans in public is one option. Or they don't need to wear a helmet on motorcycles, or they can't wear Sikh symbols at school or work. Which is the right answer? That's correct. They don't have to wear a helmet on motorcycles. Well done. Izzy and Sofia continues to find out more. They're now asking, "Do Sikhs face any challenges or unfair treatment because of their religion in the UK?" Mandeep replies, "Sadly, some Sikhs do face discrimination because of their religion in the UK. Sometimes people don't understand our beliefs or treat us unfairly." Let's find out with Izzy, what is discrimination? What do you think? Discrimination is when someone is mean or unfair to a person because they wear something different or believe in something different. For example, if someone didn't let a Sikh child play because of their turban, that would be discrimination. Did you think of the same idea? Well done. Time for another check. What is discrimination? Is it being kind to others or wearing different clothes? Or is it being mean and unfair because someone is different? What do you think? That's correct. Discrimination is being mean or unfair because someone is different. That's the correct answer. Great work. Izzy and Sofia are now talking to Harpreet to learn more about discrimination against Sikhs in Britain. They ask Harpreet, "Have you ever experienced discrimination because you're a Sikh?" Harpreet replies and shares, "Yes, I have experienced discrimination because I wear a turban." Sometimes people ask rude questions and once someone called it a funny hat." Harpreet shares, "It makes me feel upset and confused because they don't understand why I wear a turban, but I try to remember that my turban is an important part of who I am. It's part of my religion and helps me stay connected to my faith. It reminds me to be kind, brave, and respectful. Even if others don't understand it yet, I know it has a special meaning for me and my family." Let's see if you got that. Only Sikh men face discrimination because of their head covering, which is a turban, true or false? False, because we just met someone who faced discrimination, didn't we? Both Sikh men and women face discrimination for wearing a turban or other head coverings that are part of their religious beliefs, just like Harpreet who wears a turban. Time for our task. Explain which character is showing an accurate understanding of the challenges Sikhs face in Britain and why. Here we have Alex who says "Sikhs in Britain face challenges because they choose to be different and don't always join in with others." Or Aisha who says "Sikhs in Britain can face discrimination because of their clothes or beliefs." Who has an accurate understanding of the challenges Sikhs face in Britain and why? You can use the sentence prompts to help you. Mm shows an accurate understanding because. Mm does not show an accurate understanding because. You can pause the video now and come back when you're ready with your answers. Let's check your answers. You might have included this. Aisha shows an accurate understanding because she explains that Sikhs can face discrimination for wearing a turban, having uncut hair, or wearing a Kara, which are all important parts of their religion. Some people might treat them unfairly and make rude comments because they don't understand these things. But in the UK, people have the right to follow their religion and the law protects freedom of religion, so Sikhs should be respected for their beliefs. Well done if you included that. Also, Alex does not show an accurate understanding because he suggests Sikhs choose to stay separate, which is not true. Sikhs may face challenges because of how others treat them, not because they don't want to join in. Great, if you included that in your answer as well. Well done. We've learned about the challenges Sikhs face in Britain. Let's now go and find out how do Sikhs work with others. Izzy and Sofia are thinking about what a contribution to society really means. Izzy says, "Hi, Sofia. What does it mean to make a contribution to society?" To which Sofia replies, "I think it's about helping others and making the world better, even with small things like picking up litter or supporting community programs." Can you think of another example? Great, great idea. Sikhs in the UK make important contributions to society by giving generously to charity. Here are some figures, very key figures from the 2016 Sikhs survey. It says, "Sikhs give about six and a half times more than the average person in the UK. While most people give around 168 pounds a year, Sikhs give about 1,095 pounds each year. That adds up to more than 1. 2 million pounds every day." What a great contribution. Izzy and Sofia are now curious about how Sikhs contribute to British society in different ways. To find out more, they will be interviewing some Sikhs. First, they're talking to Harpreet and they ask, "What does contributing to society mean in Sikhi?" Harpreet replies, "In Sikhi, contributing to society is very important. It's how we live our faith, following the teachings of the gurus." Time for a check. Why is contributing to society important in Sikhi? Is it because it follows the gurus' teachings or to get rewards or is it not important? What do you think? That's correct. It follows the gurus' teachings. Great. Have a look at the image. What can you see here? What might be happening? Good, there are lots of people sitting together. I wonder which place this could be. Let's find out. This is an image of a Langar, which is served at Harpreet's gudwara every day. Everyone is welcome to eat there no matter who they are. Harpreet explains how langar works. "In Sikhi, we believe in equality, so gudwaras are open to everyone. One of the most important ways we contribute is through langar, a free meal served to all, regardless of background, religion, or status. The food is prepared by volunteers doing seva, which is the selfless service. By serving others, we show love and respect and make sure no one goes hungry." Time for another check. How does langar show Sikh's contribution to society? Is it that it provides a place for people to pray together, or it offers free meals to everyone showing equality? Or is it that it teaches people how to cook traditional Sikh food? What do you think? That's correct. It offers free meals to everyone showing equality. Well done. Izzy now talking to Giani Pradeep and asking, "Do dudwaras work with others?" To which Ghani Pradeep replies and shares how gudwaras are not only a place of worship, but also a place where they serve the communities through seva, which makes a meaningful contribution to British society. Giani Pradeep shares, "During the pandemic, we worked with local health services to support over 4,000 people. We ran a vaccination pop-up clinic at the Ramgarhia Sikh gudwara, gave out vitamin D tablets to other adults, and shared health advice." This is how his Gudwara makes contributions, very key contributions to British society. Sofia is now talking to Ranjit and she asks "Ranjit, do Sikhs engage with other communities around the UK too?" Ranjit replies, "Yes, this is the Nishkam Center in Birmingham. It is connected to a gudwara and is a place for people of all religions and worldviews." Ranjit talks a little bit more about the Nishkam Center. He says, "The Nishkam Center brings people together to work on community projects. We Sikhs believe that different faiths and worldviews working together contributes to a more peaceful society." Here's an image from one of the projects where all different faith leaders came together. Let's see if you got that. Sikhs work with other communities and contribute to British society, true or false? True, that's correct. Organizations like the Nishkam Center in Birmingham and the Ramagrhia Sikh gudwara in London promote interfaith dialogue, learning, and service contributing to British society. Well done for choosing true as your answer. Time for our next task. Izzy and Sofia are reflecting on what it means to contribute to society and why some Sikhs and gurdwaras choose to do so. Izzy says, "Gurdwaras contribute to the community by serving langar, a free meal to all." Sofia shares, "Some Sikhs give money to charity to help people in need." Use the case studies to give two more ways that Sikhs help in British society. You can pause the video now and come back when you're ready to check your answers with me. Let's check your answers. Our task was to use case studies to give two more ways that Sikhs help in British society. Some of the possible answers are that Ramgarhia Sikh gudwara collaborated with local health services during the pandemic to support the community's health and wellbeing. The Nishkam Center brings people from different backgrounds together to work on community projects and learn from one another. Well done if you chose those case studies and explained how Sikhs contribute to British society. Great work. Now let's quickly recap our learning. Today we've learned that many Sikhs in Britain face discrimination because of visible signs of their faith, such as wearing a turban or Kara. Discrimination is illegal in the UK and many Sikhs value the laws around freedom of religion. We've also learned that Sikhs actively contribute to British society through seva, such as serving free meals, langar in gudwaras, supporting health services, and engaging in charity work. Many Sikhs and gudwaras are keen to work with other communities from different religions and worldviews. It's important to remember that everyone has the right to be treated with respect no matter what they believe or where. Understanding each other's experiences helps us build a kinder, more connected community. Well done. That's the end of our lesson on living as a Sikh in Britain today. I will see you in our next lesson. Goodbye.