As an American, hearing the truth about Pakistani Muslim grooming gangs in the UK came to me as a total shock when I first heard of it around 8 years ago - the Internet is what allowed me to speak to Sikhs from the UK about this and what eventually led to a shift in my views.

The resilience that Sikh youth groups and activists in the UK have shown in continuing to pursue justice for this issue and educate about it despite receiving venom from the mainstream media, political parties, and many of their own, is nothing short of commendable.

The critiques were exceedingly harsh, and I cannot imagine how torturous it must have felt for the survivors in the ordeal (given the dynamic where it was hard to speak up) - but the fact that UK Sikhs stayed resilient on the issue as a community is a model for others.

This is the benefit of a global Panth and new technologies, that we are able to stay in touch with Sikhs from across the globes and receive new perspectives. These may challenge our preconceived ones - but this is how intellectual growth occurs.

Hopefully Sikhs worldwide are able to keep that in mind while we combat this problem and others worldwide that require collective action by Sikhs for Sikhs - instead of being so desperately tied to local allies and preexisting ideologies we harshly shut the door on our own.