The National Sikh Awareness & Bullying Alliance (NSABA) wishes to affirm the expectations of Sikh families regarding the religious and spiritual safety of their children in schools and wider society. This position statement arises as a result of growing incidents and concerns regarding religious freedom and conversion of Sikh children in school settings.

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All parents expect, and have the legal right, for their children to practise their faith without fear, in accordance with Article 9 of the Human Rights Act 1998 and the Equality Act 2010. Sikhi is not a missionary faith, nor does it tolerate missionary efforts aimed, clandestine or otherwise at children from the Sikh faith.

 

Sikh history is replete with accounts of upholding the freedoms and equalities for all including resistance against forced and coerced conversion. Schools are kindly advised to read up on this before handling any concerns  and to ensure pupils of all religions and none are treated equally, without elevating different communities' interpretation of safeguarding above statutory guidance.

 

The Sikh way of life also holds that every individual has their own spiritual path, and that connection with God (Waheguru) is a personal journey of self-awareness, reflection, and inner discipline. It is therefore not the role of schools, other pupils, staff, or outside communities to interfere with that journey and to impress their faith or way of life as the correct way. This is contrary to the principles of education.

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It is expected that all schools and governing bodies ensure:

• That religious coercion, peer pressure to convert, or attempts to “save” pupils from their faith are recognised as unwanted, disrespectful, and harmful

• That those engaged in such practise raised here be held to account and that this varies on whether adults or children are involved.

• That mutual respect and equality is upheld for all faiths, including the Sikh belief in non-interference in others’ spiritual and/or personal journeys.

• That political indoctrination should not be tolerated.

 

Any effort to pressure, convert, or isolate children based on religion is not a sign of diversity, it is a safeguarding concern, and will be treated accordingly. Pressure on a child to convert from their faith to another through manipulation, promotion, isolation, or emotional coercion can meet the definition of bullying under school safeguarding guidance. While ‘conversion’ and ‘grooming’ are legally distinct concepts, religious coercion of children raise serious safeguarding concerns  for the Sikh community and its history, constitute emotional abuse and coercive behaviour.  All such incidents will be logged with the Sikh Supreme Council and the police.

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We welcome any queries from schools and agencies regarding religious conversion in schools. Ultimately, we recognise that this is a field which requires greater understanding and clarity since ambiguity places school leaders in often difficult positions. As always, the aim is to work with schools by offering practical support steeped in sound legal and educational practice.​