I feel sad and helpless for Sikhs still living in Afghanistan

By Meeno Chawla | OPINION |

The incident is devastating and worrying for those Afghan Sikhs living in Afghanistan. This is a cowardly attack on the Gurdwara. It is hugely detrimental to those who lost their lives in this attack.

I was shocked and extremely angry that it has happened once again. I felt sad and helpless for those still living in Afghanistan. We left our homes for a better life and yet some are still there and suffering.

However, this is not the first time. This calls for state intervention, where religious minorities are under threat. They need greater protection and those who did this need to be prosecuted.

Afghan Sikhs have struggled to continue their day to day lives without being fearful or anxious. They have been pushed out their own country for years! They can’t live in peace without religious intolerance. Being a minority does not mean you don’t matter, the state need to protect their civil liberties.

The Gurdwara that was attacked was a place close to my parents. My mother used to go there as a child where her mum was a sevadaar. When they saw the news this morning, it was heartbreaking because their homeland was constantly being targeted. I am too. It’s really sad. How can they attack a place of worship.

My prayers are with those who lost their lives and their families to give them the strength to get through this difficult time.

Meeno Chawla was called to the Bar of England and Wales in In October 2019, making her the first Afghan Sikh to do so. The youngest of four children — all girls — her family migrated to England in 1995, six years after the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan and the start of the Afghan civil war in 1989