Edward has joined Sikhs from around the UK and fellow parliamentarians at a 'Respect the Sikh Turban' event in Parliament, organised by fellow MPs Craig Tracey & Marcus Jones, designed to raise awareness of the significance of the turban.
The wearing of the turban is a unique and integral part of the Sikh religion, and is not only an article of faith, but something of huge spiritual and temporal significance to the Sikh community. Following incidents where individuals had shown disrespect to the turban, and a recent incident where someone attempted to forcibly remove a Sikh's turban, the campaign aims to raise awareness of the significance of the turban and to highlight the respect that should be shown to the wearing of it as a key element of Sikhism.
Edward said: "Sikhs have made a huge contribution to the UK, and to our own county of Leicestershire, not only historically but also in the present day. There are over 700,000 Sikhs in the UK, playing a massive role in our country's national, economic, and cultural life, and it is important that we all work to increase awareness of the turban and the Sikh faith, and are clear that disrespect for the turban or Sikh faith has no place in our country."