Contemporary Issues
In the contemporary context it is important to account for the various shifts and transformations which have shaped the contours of Sikh-Muslim relations across the global Sikh diaspora. As historical conflicts have been transported into new times and spaces we see the reworking of Sikh-Muslim tensions being projected onto the ‘forced’ conversions narrative.
Global events have also impacted upon Sikh-Muslim relations, particularly post-9/11, where many Sikhs have found themselves being confused for being Muslim. As processes of racialization generated by the war on terror continue to accelerate, Islamophobia has come to condition the lives of both Sikhs and Muslims, as well as racialized communities more generally. In this new cultural landscape these communities have had to negotiate and navigate a series of complex tensions.