UK Sikhs Fight For Religious Rights

Witness History

BBC

History, Personal Journals, Society & Culture

4.4 • 1.6K Ratings

🗓️ 12 April 2017

⏱️ 10 minutes

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Summary

In April 1969 Sikh bus drivers and conductors in the northern English town of Wolverhampton won the right to wear a turban on duty after a two year campaign. One of the key tenents of the Sikh religion is that men must grow a beard and long hair secured by a comb and covered by a turban. Farhana Haider has been speaking to Avtar Singh Azad who led the campaign in the fight for Sikh religious rights.

Photo Sikh bus driver 1972. Credit BBC

Transcript

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1:05.4	Hello and thank you for downloading the Witness Podcast, history is told by the people who are there.
1:10.8	And today we go back to April 1969 when Sikh bus drivers and
1:15.2	conductors in the northern English town of Wolverhampton won the right to
1:19.2	wear a turban at work after a two-year-long campaign for religious freedom.
1:24.0	This is the fundamental right of the Sikh nation, Sikh people that they wear the turban and keep the beard.
1:39.0	Some of the universal laws, this was in my mind mind then we must run it.
	...

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