A Sikh woman had an arranged marriage but divorced a year later. She opened up about being judged by her community for being a divorcee.
Minreet Kaur revealed that she was judged by the local Sikh community for being a divorcee.
The 41-year-old from West London spoke about her experiences during Sikh Marriage Week, which encourages dialogue and understanding around marriage from a Sikh perspective.
Minreet got divorced 14 years ago after meeting her then-partner through the Gurdwara. She said the marriage was “semi-arranged”.
She was with her partner for a year before she decided she did not want to be in an unhappy marriage so she got divorced.
But since then, Minreet has found it difficult to meet people, especially within her own community.
She said: “In terms of what Sikh Marriage Week means to me is that we are coming to be more accepting about people who are divorced, there was more of a shame and stigma to it.
“I got divorced 14 years ago and haven’t been able to meet someone.
“Marriage Week back then was not available, had we been doing outreach work like this then others like myself wouldn’t be feeling like we’re much older now, so it’s more difficult for us to find people.
“We need to educate people to not judge anyone, a widow, divorcee or someone separated.
“Everyone has the right to meet someone else.
She said: “In terms of what Sikh Marriage Week means to me is that we are coming to be more accepting about people who are divorced, there was more of a shame and stigma to it.
“I got divorced 14 years ago and haven’t been able to meet someone.
“Marriage Week back then was not available, had we been doing outreach work like this then others like myself wouldn’t be feeling like we’re much older now, so it’s more difficult for us to find people.
“We need to educate people to not judge anyone, a widow, divorcee or someone separated.
“Everyone has the right to meet someone else.
