A 10-year-old Sikh girl from Southeast London was shocked when kids in the neighbourhood playground called her a ‘terrorist’ and refused to play with her.
Munsimar Kaur was branded dangerous by four kids and a young girl’s mother, who were clearly driven by racist sentiments.
Later her father tweeted out a video of her where she calls out the racism she experienced. In the video she also urged the need for ‘exposure and knowledge’ to handle racist situations as the one she experienced.
"On Monday, two boys who looked like 14 to 17 years old and two girls who looked like they were in their late teens – when I asked to play the game they were playing and the queue was a mile long – they said, loud and clear, ''no, you can't play because you are a terrorist,” Kaur narrated in the video.
Kaur did find a friend in the park in a nine-year-old girl, but not for long.
"After an hour, her mum called her and said she can't play with me because I was, apparently, dangerous," Kaur shared, adding that it was not the little girl’s fault.
Though Kaur was hurt, she was brave enough to keep her head high and return home to talk to her parents about it. After speaking to her father, she felt it was important to put her story across to the world to spread awareness on the issue and maybe stop someone else from undergoing the same.
"But I need to speak out about this because not everyone is strong enough to walk away or has suitable parents to talk to and handle this racism. I will hang out with the right people."
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)