seeing that picture of
David Cameron and reading
this news When a friend proudly announces that he successfully made Haggis samosas, you realise how entwined Scottish culture is with Pakistan. Glasgow, a city of 600,000 people and home to the biggest South-Asian community in Scotland, is truly where these two cultures mix. Scottish Asians make up 2.1 per cent of the population. With Pakistanis being the largest ethnic minority in the country, the big vote is the oft discussed topic within the community. Small businesses — many of them owned by Pakistanis — are likely to be affected with regards to tax and trade, while others are concerned about the economy and if the Yes vote will secure a good future for their families.
While student and avid campaigner Ghazala Ahmad dries her two children, their Qari Sahab (Quran teacher) calls to reschedule Skype classes for the kids — the latest way of linking Pakistani culture to modern technology. Ghazala was born and educated in Pakistan before moving to London and finally settling in Glasgow after six years.
“I think the media is quite negative about the independence issue,” she says. “When my relatives in England and Pakistan see such coverage, they obviously think there is no way it can happen.
“When I tell them what we have in Scotland such as free education and free medical prescriptions, they are surprised. We should be able to make decisions locally,” she continues. “When David Cameron wants to go to war, at least Scottish people can say no, so I see a better future for my family if we have independence.”
Britain’s foreign policy and very recent ‘go home’ campaign against illegal immigrants, was deeply unpopular within the Asian communities in Scotland and England alike. Many British-Pakistanis felt unfairly targeted.
The rise of anti-immigration political parties such as the UK Independence Party has once again pushed the question of identity into the limelight with an underlying expectation to boost your Britishness over your apna culture. Ghazala believes that the Scottish National Party (SNP) is more accepting of different ethnicities.
Cultural identity plays a big role in Britain as a whole. A recent study found that ethnic minorities in the UK — in particular Pakistanis, Indians and Arabs feel more British than white Britons. Mass immigration of South-Asians during the 1950s and 1960s brought diversity and skills to the region, which has now become a unique part of Britishness.
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Nighet Riaz is front-lining the grassroots campaign for independence. Born in Birmingham, the PhD researcher and lecturer has lived in Scotland for over 27 years and thinks that Scottish Pakistanis can appreciate independence by linking it to the days of partition in India.
She says: “Stories of decades of conflict between Kashmir, India and Pakistan, where Kashmiris were denied the right to vote for themselves and to have any say in how their own country was divided up have been told in the families. These narratives have been carried down each family keeping the passion alive.
“In both Pakistani and Indian families, when we sit and talk to our grandparents, we hear stories of how hard it was during and after Partition. We understand what they went through and so can relate to Scottish people and think, yes we know exactly where you are coming from and we’re with you.”
Kashmir is one of the most contentious issues affecting India and Pakistan and is deeply connected to the independence question, according to Tahir Mohammad, the ambassador for Yes Campaign.
Describing himself as a proud Scottish-Kashmiri, Tahir correlates his independence activism in Scotland with what he hopes will be a free Kashmir.
“It’s interesting that my family support independence here because that is what they believe in,” he says. “In Kashmir, they want to see a free, independent country and that is exactly what they want in Scotland as well.”
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“That’s easy,” Nighet says. “One identity can emerge stronger depending on the situation, but for me it’ll always be
Scottish-Muslim-Pakistani in that order.”
Well I am glad to read that . that is
Ghazala Ahmad ., Let us all move to Scotland.. The order for her is Scottish-Muslim-Pakistani...
Yes I like that.. there should be war Scotland and England and It is time for
DC start putting together his war Machinery