British university slammed of confusing Sikhs with Muslims in social media post

Anjali Sharma

GG News Bureau
NEW YORK, 21st Feb. Members of the Sikh community in Great Britain on Tuesday have slammed the University of Birmingham for confusing Sikhs with Muslims in a social media post, stated that “these mistakes should not happen in 2024”.

The University deleted and apologized for the post incorrectly claimed that a recent ‘langar (community meal)’ event hosted by its Sikh students was part of an Islamic awareness week, The Birmingham Mail newspaper reported on Monday.

Students within the university’s Sikh Society hosted the event served free vegetarian meals on the campus.

They left disappointed when a staff member tagged their event in a post with the text ‘Discover Islam Week’, which is an annual awareness campaign run by the university’s Islamic Society.

“It is disappointing. There is clearly an issue with the training and education given to the staff,” Jasveer Singh, a member of Sikh Press Association, told the newspaper.

Singh said that aspects of Sikhism are taught at the University, which has lecturers from the community and regularly hosts Sikh events.

Social media users described the mistake as “embarrassing” that left them “utterly gobsmacked”.

“The university sincerely apologizes for any offence or upset this has been caused. We recognize this post was incorrect. It was identified shortly after being posted and immediately deleted,” a University of Birmingham spokesperson said.

“The university respects and celebrates the diversity of our community and continually works to provide a welcoming and inclusive environment. We have made contact with relevant individuals and groups to apologize directly and listen to their views.”

Singh said that the University owes a wider apology to two groups for the mistake.