The government has apologized after publishing an NHS anti-smoking poster showing a Sikh man wearing a turban.
The controversial poster, which included the message “Make 2025 the year you smoke completely”, has since been removed from the NHS website.
The ad drew criticism for its inappropriate depiction of a Sikh person, as tobacco consumption is strictly prohibited in that religion.
The image used was a stock photo of a Sikh man wearing a turban, which appeared alongside the anti-smoking message.
The government has apologized after publishing an NHS anti-smoking poster showing a Sikh man wearing a turban.
DHSC
According to the Sikh code of conduct, known as Rehat Maryada, the use of tobacco is strictly prohibited, as are opium, alcohol and cannabis.
The first Sikh guru, Guru Nanak, taught that the use of mind-altering substances – except for medical purposes – would distract from God.
The religious code is so strict that Sikhs are not allowed near these substances, even by accident.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting called the ad “inappropriate” and “offensive” in correspondence with the Sikh Federation UK.
The Ilford North MP has pledged to investigate the reasons for the error.
Streeting has pledged to implement measures to “ensure that similar errors do not occur” in the future.
Harwinder Singh of the Sikh Education Council expressed hope that the NHS and other departments would learn from these mistakes.
He acknowledged that although some Sikhs smoke, using the image of a Sikh wearing a turban for the poster creates an undesirable association.
Singh specifically noted that the advert risked creating a link between “smoking and the broader Sikh community in particular.”
Despite the presence of the NHS brand, the controversial poster was commissioned by the Department of Health and Social Care.
The advert has now been completely removed from NHS platforms following backlash.