Sikh women in Midlands scared after racially aggravated rapes

[Carla786]

Horrible for women to be living in fear like that. I was aware of one, did not realise there had been another. Hopefully there won't be anything else...

Intersectionality has been such an abused word by TRAs etc, but I think it IS relevant when women are victimised on the basis of sex but there's an additional factor like disability, race or sexuality.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/nov/08/midlands-attacks-walsall-sikh-womens-daily-lives

This is really horrific. I'm interested in your comment about intersectionality which is something I don't know much about. Presumably it doesn't mean a racially motivated rape is objectively 'worse' than any other rape. What does intersectionality mean in this context? Is it that Sikh women are more vulnerable because they are both female and a racial minority? Would we have to go back to hard data from rape statistics to see if they actually are more vulnerable to rape?

As a Sikh female I can honestly say i’ve become extremely paranoid about letting my girls out of my sight and that is an extra worry in addition to the usual vigilance all women (of all races/creeds etc) have to keep, such is the state of the world.

It’s utterly horrific, however as the perpetrators are white men rather than asylum seekers this thread will gain zero traction and no more than a handful of comments.

Sikh woman raped in apparently racially motivated attack
88 replies
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/5409320-sikh-woman-raped-in-apparently-racially-motivated-attack

Racially aggravated rapes and attacks in Midlands
35 replies
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/5437388-racially-aggravated-rapes-and-attacks-in-midlands

You were saying?

It’s nothing in comparison. There’s been a distinct racist edge to many threads on MN recently and comparative silence on this awful issue.
And yes, Sikh women are more at risk. They are being targeted because of their race and faith.

As @POWNewcastleEastWallsend so ably pointed out, feminists defend women and condemn rape. This is an horrific series of attacks and most people on here know that men of all racial or religious backgrounds attack women. Most will have experienced sexual assault. Many have been raped. I know the police have a man in custody. I sincerely hope all the perpetrators are brought to justice.

I agree that a lot of Mumsnet threads attract comments about the race of perpetrators. Sometimes that is valid - if there is a clear pattern that needs to be discussed. Sometimes it isn't, especially when people speculate when they don't know the facts. Many feminists are concerned with religious doctrine - rather than race - leading to the suppression of women - we have to be able to discuss the links between Islam and the complete suppression of women in Afghanistan or the execution of women in Iran for their incredibly brave stand against their rulers. We also need to be able to discuss if networks of Muslim men have been abusing vulnerable girls in the UK and how this has been allowed to happen. That doesn't mean white men get any kind of pass. Most of the men who have sexually assaulted or harassed me were white. In the case of Sikh women being raped it is pretty obvious that there is a racially aggravated motivation - although it's not clear if these were isolated incidents or linked - and I wasn't remotely surprised that a white man has been arrested.

@POWNewcastleEastWallsend already linked a number of threads on this issue but there are also many threads about women in Afghanistan, Sudan, Iran and others. It is the opposite of racist to support our sisters in other countries and fight against their oppression.

Of course it is. But you can’t claim to be feminist and support the work of Tommy Robinson and similar - many MN commentators are now in that position while claiming to be feminist.

I haven't seen people supporting Tommy Robinson on the feminism boards. Could you give examples? (Not from Mumsnet generally, just from the feminism boards) I don't think it's a very usual position.

@Lovelyview "I agree that a lot of Mumsnet threads attract comments about the race of perpetrators. Sometimes that is valid - if there is a clear pattern that needs to be discussed."

This. The race of perpetrators is often very valid. This thread actually bears witness to that. These poor women were targeted because of their race by white men, which is wholly relevant to the crime.

Tbf I actually started the first of those threads too, from my previous account. It did get quite a few supportive replies, as well as a several questioning whether the possible racial/religious motivation was relevant. Obviously it's healthy to have debate, but I think it should be evident that a racial motivation is sadly quite possible, and if true, definitely also relevant.