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Good morning. This week we saw an image of three Afghan Sikhs standing barefoot at Kabul airport, sadness etched on their faces as they awaited their evacuation to India. Each were carrying the Guru Granth Sahib, the holy Sikh scripture, placed on their heads as a mark of respect. These texts had sat at the centre of Sikh places of worship in Afghanistan, but now, the custodians of these gurdwaras felt that they had no choice but to leave, fearful that the new Taliban rule would threaten the very existence of their communities and way of life. For the Sikhs the Guru Granth Sahib is their Eternal Guru, and its removal from the gurdwaras marks the end of a once vibrant community that had existed in Afghanistan since the 16th Century when Guru Nanak visited on his travels. As Narender Singh Khalsa whose own father was killed in a 2018 terror attack in Jalalabad said in tears “All achievements of the last 20 years in Afghanistan have been lost. Nothing is left. It’s zero now. The Taliban has sought to reassure Sikh leaders but the Afghan Sikh community remembers how they had previously suffered persecution at the hands of the Taliban in the 1990s, having to pay a religious tax and wear a yellow arm band for identification reminiscent of the yellow Star of David that Jews were forced to wear in Nazi Germany. However, since the US invasion in 2001 they had managed to live with relative security and prosperity, although acts of violence against them still occurred. In June this year, four people suffered injuries in a blast in the Sikh area of Jalalabad. Today there are fewer than 200 Afghan Sikhs remaining, all sheltering in a Gurdwara in Kabul, in fear of violence and religious persecution whilst they await evacuation. This experience mirrors that of other religious minorities —including Shia Hazaras, Christians, Bahais, Ahmadis, and Hindus, as well as Muslim voices opposing the Taliban. Freedom of religion and belief is not just under threat in Afghanistan; but in many countries around the world. As a Sikh, I am constantly reminded of how our 9th Guru, Tegh Bahadhur, was executed nearly 350 years ago for standing up for the rights of another faith community, Hindus. He argued that Hindu priests should be free to practice their beliefs and traditions without interference or duress. It is a sobering thought that Guru Tegh Bahadhur’s sacrifice is still as relevant today as it was in the 17th century, and reminds me that we have a collective moral responsibility to hold those who violate religious freedoms to account; to stand up against violence and advocate for the protection of all communities regardless of their beliefs.