The incident occurred when the University incorrectly tagged a ‘langar (community meal)’ event organized by Sikh students as part of an Islamic awareness week.
London: Members of the Sikh community in the UK have expressed their disappointment towards the University of Birmingham for a recent social media post that confused them with Muslims. The Sikh community have hit out at the ‘shocking’ gaffe, claiming ‘these mistakes should not happen in 2024’. The incident occurred when the University incorrectly tagged a ‘langar (community meal)’ event organized by Sikh students as part of an Islamic awareness week. The University, later deleted the post and issued an apology for the error.
The Sikh Society at the University of Birmingham hosted the event, where they served free vegetarian meals on campus. However, their efforts were overshadowed by the misidentification in the social media post.
Langar is a concept which sees free meals cooked in a communal kitchen and served by volunteers to all people within gurdwaras. More than 15 universities across the UK now host similar events, with students serving free vegetarian meals on campus.
Students were left disappointed when a staff member managing the university’s Instagram account tagged their event in a post with the text ‘Discover Islam Week’. Discover Islam Week is an annual awareness campaign run by the university’s Islamic Society.
Jasveer Singh, a member of the Sikh Press Association, highlighted the need for better training and education for the university staff to avoid such oversights in the future. He pointed out that the University already includes teachings about Sikhism, has lecturers from the Sikh community, and regularly hosts Sikh events.
“It is disappointing… There is clearly an issue with the training and education given to the staff,” Jasveer Singh id.
Social media users described the mistake as “embarrassing” that left them “utterly gobsmacked”.
“The university sincerely apologises for any offence or upset this has been caused. We recognise 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 apologise directly and listen to their views.”
Singh said that the University owes a wider apology to two groups for the mistake.
The incident serves as a reminder of the importance of cultural sensitivity and accurate representation in educational institutions. Moving forward, it is crucial for universities to ensure that staff members are well-informed about different faiths and cultures to avoid such misunderstandings. The incident has sparked conversations about the need for increased diversity training and awareness programs to promote inclusivity and respect for all communities on campus.
