Members of the Sikh community in the UK have slammed the University of Birmingham for confusing them with Muslims in a social media post, saying that “these mistakes should not happen in 2024”.
The University deleted and apologised for the post incorrectly claiming that a recent ‘langar (community meal)’ event hosted by its Sikh students was part of an Islamic awareness week, The Birmingham Mail newspaper reported on Monday.
Students within the university’s Sikh Society hosted the event earlier this month, serving free vegetarian meals on the campus.
But they were left disappointed when a staff member tagged their event in a post with the text ‘Discover Islam Week’, which is an annual awareness campaign run by the university’s Islamic Society.
“It is disappointing… There is clearly an issue with the training and education given to the staff,” Jasveer Singh, a member of Sikh Press Association, told the newspaper.
Singh said that aspects of Sikhism are taught at the University, which has lecturers from the community and regularly hosts Sikh events.
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.