Not long after the terror alert level was raised to high, truck driver Amar Singh was working when a stranger approached and said: "You look like a terrorist. You should be on a terrorist watch list."

Mr Singh, who was sitting in his parked truck in Wollongong, was perplexed. He certainly was not an extremist and he had never identified as Muslim.

Sikhs say they are increasingly the victims of backlashes against Islamic extremism as people link turbans to terrorism. Credit:Wolter Peeters

Yet his experience matches that of other Australian Sikhs, who say they have shared the brunt of anti-Islamic sentiment in some parts of the community.

Sikh leaders young and old say racism has increased since the terror alert level was lifted and the Sydney siege, as some people conflate Sikh turbans and beards with terrorism.