NCAM Stands with the Sikh Community After a Father’s Turban Was Torn Off in Perth

Media Release – 28 October 2026

The National Council of Australian Muslims (NCAM) stands in full solidarity with the Sikh community after a Sikh father reportedly had his turban forcibly removed as he left a shopping centre in Perth’s south-east on 15 October. According to UNITED SIKHS, the man was walking out with his wife and nine-month-old baby when an unknown man came up from behind, pulled off his Dastar and ran. When confronted, the man threw the turban to the ground and fled. The incident has been reported to WA Police, and CCTV footage is understood to have been secured.

NCAM Director Sajida Salman said the alleged attack was an assault on faith and dignity, not a prank. “For Sikhs, the Dastar is a sacred article of faith, worn with honour. Tearing it from a man’s head in front of his wife and baby is meant to humiliate. No family in Perth should be made to feel unsafe for practising their religion.”

Ms Salman said Muslim Australians know this experience all too well. “Many Muslim women have had their hijab pulled from their heads in shopping centres, on trains and in the street. When someone targets a visible sign of faith, they are telling a whole community that it does not belong. Whether it is a turban, a hijab, a kippah or a cross, the harm is the same, and so must be our response.”

NCAM welcomes the strong statements from UNITED SIKHS and Nihang Singhs Perth Inc., and joins them in calling for a thorough police investigation so that the person responsible is identified and held accountable under the law. We encourage anyone who witnessed the incident or has information to contact WA Police or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

NCAM also urges the Western Australian Government to introduce clear legal protections against religious vilification, and to support the reporting of faith-based hate incidents, so that every community can see these attacks are taken seriously.

“Perth is home to Sikhs, Muslims, Christians, Jews, Hindus, First Nations people and people of no faith, living side by side,” Ms Salman said. “An attack on one of our communities is an attack on all of us. Muslim Australians stand shoulder to shoulder with our Sikh brothers and sisters. Hate will not divide us.”

For media inquiries, please contact: media@ncam.au

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National Council of Australian Muslims (NCAM) acknowledges all First Peoples as the Traditional Custodians throughout the land across Australia, and pay our respects to Elders past and present. We recognise and respect the historical and traditional connection Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples have to the land, water, culture and community. We appreciate the importance of the world’s oldest living culture, and support the union of a reconciled Australia. NCAM is committed to ensuring inclusion, equity and equality.