British Asian

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British Asian
From left to right: Ameet Chana, George Edalji, Ronnie Irani
Total population
2,331,423 4% of the UK population
Regions with significant populations
London, West Midlands, East Midlands and Yorkshire and Humber Greater Manchester,
Languages
British English, Indian languages, Pakistani languages, Bengali dialects, Tamil dialects
Religions
Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism, Christianity, Zoroastrianism, Buddhism
Related ethnic groups
Asian, NRI/PIO, Desi, Anglo-Indian, South Asian American, Indo-Canadian, Asian South African

The term British Asian is used to denote a person of South Asian ancestry or origin, who was born in or was an immigrant to the United Kingdom, former heartland of the British Empire. British India made up the most populous portion of the former British Empire.

[edit] Usage

In British English, the word "Asian" usually refers to those of South Asian origin, particularly Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis and Sri Lankans.^[1] Additionally, British who marked the "Other Asian" category on the UK census were of Afghan, Iranian, Iraqi, Nepali and Yemeni ancestries.^[2] It may also refer to people from other parts of Asia,^[3] but those of East Asian (such as Chinese or Japanese) or Southeast Asian origin are usually not included in the term. This is reflected in the "ethnic group" section of UK census forms and other government paperwork, which treat "Asian" and "Chinese" as separate. Most West and Central Asians are generally not included in the British categorisation of 'Asian' either.

The terms "Asian" or "British Asian" are contested. According to Rashmee Roshan Lall, Britain's Hindu community considers the term somewhat vague given the religious and national origin difference between Indians, Pakistanis and Bangladeshis. Britain's Hindu community is debating whether to adopt a specific label based on nationality (e.g. "British Indian") or religion (e.g. "British Hindu"). Some British Indians do not feel they want to be in the same ethnic group as British Pakistanis.^[4] Others see a certain degree of unity in the South Asian diaspora; the term Desi is also sometimes used to name a South Asian person, pointing to a common identity, but is more often a word used within the Asian community.

[edit] Demographics

British Asian

major population locations
according to UK Census

Central Scotland

Northwest

York &
Humber

West
Midlands

East
Midlands

London

East

Southeast

According to the 2001 UK Census there are 2.33 million British Asians, making up 4% of the population of the United Kingdom. This further subdivides to 1.05 million of Indian origin (1.8% of the population), 747,000 of Pakistani origin (1.3%), 283,000 of Bangladeshi origin (0.5%), and 247,000 from other Asian origins (0.4%) (largely of Sri Lankan origin). British Asians make up 50.2% of the UK's non-European population. British Indians tend to be religiously diverse, with 45% Hindu, 29% Sikh, and 13% per cent Muslim, while their counterparts of Pakistani and Bangladeshi origin are much more religiously homogeneous, with Muslims accounting for 92% of each group.^[5] 2004 estimates show that the British Asian community is 2,799,700 including people of mixed White British and Asian descent.

British Asians who marked "Other Asian" as an ethnic group and then wrote in their specific ethnic group were mostly(23%) of Sri Lankan origin. This was followed by fill-ins of Middle Eastern(9%) origin. Due to a growing sense of affiliation with Britain, many third generation Asians chose to not mark "Asian or British Asian" and instead marked "British Asian" in the "Other Asian" write in section.^[6]

In terms of key demographic measures, the two Asian groups, Indians and Pakistani/Bangladeshis have developed significant differences. The unemployment rate in Indians in UK is about 7%, comparable to that of the White British. On the other hand Bangladeshis have among the highest unemployment rates of 13-14%^[7] with Pakistani having around 11%^[8] Indian pupils are likely to achieve among the highest grades in schools where as Pakistanis and Bangladeshis are likely to score lower.^[9] Persons of Indian or mixed Indian origin are more likely than White British to have college degrees, whereas Pakistanis and Bangladeshis are less likely.^[10]

British Asian ethnic groups mostly originate from a few select places in South Asia. British Indians tend to originate mainly from two Indian States, Sikhs are largely from the state of Punjab (India) whilst Hindus tend to originate from Gujarat, Punjab and West Bengal. In recent years, there has been significant immigration from Sri Lanka. British Pakistanis originate largely from Pakistani administered Kashmir, particularly from the Mirpur area, with the remainder originating from cities and villages in Punjab, NWFP and Sindh. British Bangladeshis largely originate from the Sylhet region of the country.

According to the United Kingdom Census 2001, British Asian men from all British Asian ethnic groups intermarried with another ethnic group more than British Asian women. Among British Asians, British Indians intermarried with a different ethnic group the most both absolutely and proportionately, followed by British Pakistanis and British Bangladeshis.

[edit] History of South Asians in Great Britain

Freddie Mercury (Farrokh Bulsara) was one of the first British Asian celebrities. He was the lead singer of the popular rock band Queen.

No one actually knows the earliest origins of settlement of South Asians in the British Isles for certain; if the Romani (Gypsies) are included, then the earliest arrivals may have been in the Middle Ages — although not normally included as South Asian, the Roma and Sinti (most in the UK have been Sinti) are both believed to have originated in parts of what is now North India and Pakistan and to have begun travelling westward around 1000 CE, though they have mixed with Southwest Asians and Europeans over the centuries. Romani began arriving in sizeable numbers in parts of Western Europe in the 16th century.

People from South Asia have settled in Great Britain since the East India Company (EIC) recruited lascars to replace vacancies in their crews on East Indiamen whilst on voyages in India. Many were then refused passage back, and were marooned in London. There were also some Ahyas, domestic servants of wealthy British families, who accompanied their employers back to "Blighty" when their stay in Asia came to an end.

The Navigation Act of 1660 restricted the employment of non-English sailors to a quarter of the crew on returning East India Company ships. Baptism records in East Greenwich suggest that young Indians from the Malabar Coast were being recruited as servants at the end of the seventeenth century., and records of the EIC also suggest that Indo-Portuguese cooks from Goa were retained by Captains from voyage to voyage.^[11] In 1797, 13 were buried in the parish of St Nicholas at Deptford.

Following the Second World War and the break up of the British Empire Asian migration to the UK increased through the 1950s and 1960s from Commonwealth of Nations countries such as India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, at the same time as immigrants from former Caribbean colonies were also moving to Britain.

Although this immigration was continuous, several distinct phases can be identified:

• Manual workers, mainly from Pakistan, were recruited to fulfill the labour shortage that resulted from World War II. These included Anglo-Indians who were recruited to work on the railways as they had done in India.
• Workers mainly from the Punjab region of India and Pakistan arrived in the 1950s and 1960s. Many worked in the foundries of the English midlands and a large number worked at Heathrow airport in West London
• During the same time, medical staff from the Indian subcontinent were recruited for the newly formed National Health Service. These people were targeted as the British had established medical schools in the Indian subcontinent which conformed to the British standards of medical training.

• During the 1960s and 1970s, large numbers of East African Asians, who already held British passports, entered the UK after they were expelled from Kenya, Uganda and Zanzibar. Many of these people had been store-keepers in Africa and opened shops when they arrived in the UK, thereby reviving the traditional British corner-shop which until that point had been in decline.

The Commonwealth Immigrants Act 1962 and Immigration Act 1971 largely restricted any further primary immigration, although family members of already-settled migrants were still allowed. In addition, much of the subsequent growth in the British Asian community has come from the births of second- and third-generation Asian Britons.

[edit] British Asian influence on popular culture

Amir Khan is the current IBF inter-continental light welterweight boxing champion.

The biggest influence of British Asians on popular culture has probably been the Indian restaurant, though the majority of these are run by people of Bangladeshi origin. A recent poll found that chicken tikka masala has surpassed fish and chips in terms of popularity as the national dish.^[12] Chicken tikka masala, like the popular balti, is itself a British Asian invention.

Bhangra music has in addition become popular among many in the general British public (especially younger people)^[13] not only from the works of British Asian musicians such as Panjabi MC, Rishi Rich, Jay Sean and Juggy D but also incorporated into the works of a number of non-Asian musicians not only British but including American artists such as Britney Spears, who has been influenced by British Asian Bhangra producer Rishi Rich, as well as African American artists such as Jay-Z, 50 Cent and Bobby Valentino.

The films East is East, Chicken Tikka Masala and Bend It Like Beckham and the TV shows Goodness Gracious Me and The Kumars at No. 42 have managed to attract large, multi-ethnic audiences. The success and popularity of British Pakistani boxer Amir Khan influenced the revival of boxing on ITV Sport. In 2006, Time Asia magazine voted the late British Asian musician Freddie Mercury, the lead singer and writer of the rock band Queen, as one of the most influential Asians in the past 60 years.^[14]

Lakshmi Mittal is currently Britain's richest man and the fifth richest man in the world. He owns Arcelor-Mittal, the world's largest steel manufacturer, which was known as Mittal Steel Company before the merger with Arcelor. He was listed in the Forbes List of Billionaires (2006) as the the richest Indian and the fifth richest man in the world with an estimated fortune of $25.0 billion and, according to the Sunday Times Rich List 2006, is the richest in the UK, with a net worth of £14.8 billion. The Financial Times named Mittal its 2006 Person of the Year. In 2005, he was the third richest man in the world according to Forbes List of billionaires (2005).

[edit] British Asian celebrities in popular culture

Shazia Mirza is a popular British comedian.

Since the 1970s, British Asian performers and writers have achieved significant mainstream cultural success. The first British Asian to gain wide popularity in the UK for being a mainstream celebrity in their own right and worldwide fame was the late Freddie Mercury, who led the rock band Queen. He continues to be the most respected and well-remembered British Asian to this day, although many people may not know of his ethnicity. However, there had been others earlier such as Sabu Dastagir who had been famous for playing non-descript foreigners in British and Hollywood films, fondly remembered for his lead roles in The Thief of Bagdad and Jungle Book.

The comedians Sanjeev Bhaskar, Meera Syal and Shazia Mirza are all well-recognised figures in British popular culture. The actress Parminder Nagra has a prominent role in the US TV series ER, and played the lead role in the successful British film Bend It Like Beckham. The actor Naveen Andrews plays the role of Sayid Jarrah in the popular US TV series Lost, and also had a prominent role in the award-winning film The English Patient. Hardeep Singh Kohli is a presenter, reporter and comedian on British television. British Pakistani boxer Amir Khan represents Britain in boxing and is the current IBF inter-continental light welterweight champion. British Kashmiri TV presenter Saira Khan and British Bangladeshi businessman Syed Ahmed became celebrities after appearing on The Apprentice. The broadcaster Krishnan Guru-Murthy and Sameera Ahmed, meanwhile, present the Channel 4 News. There is also the Cricketer Monty Panesar, who is achieving near cult status playing for England. Also Majid Haq and Omer Hussain who are Scottish internationals in the sport of cricket.

[edit] Asian communities

Although there are Asian communities all over the UK, towns and cities with particularly significant Asian populations include:

• Bedford (Queens Park, Cauldwell)
• Birmingham (especially Sparkhill, Sparkbrook, Small Heath, Balsall Heath, Washwood Heath, Saltley, Handsworth, Handsworth Wood)
• Blackburn
• Bolton
• Bradford (Manningham, Great Horton)
• Cardiff (Butetown, Grangetown, Riverside)
• Coventry
• Derby
• Dewsbury
• Edinburgh
• Glasgow (especially Pollokshields, Pollokshaws, Govanhill and Woodlands)
• Halifax
• High Wycombe
• Leeds (Beeston, Harehills, Chapeltown)
• Leicester (especially Belgrave, Rushey Mead, Highfields, Spinney Hills, Evington)
• London (especially Tower Hamlets, Newham, Hounslow, Brent, Southall, Ilford, Harrow, and Tooting)
• Luton
• Manchester (especially Longsight, Rusholme, Whalley Range and Cheetham Hill)
• Newport (especially Maindee and Pillgwenlly)
• Oldham (especially Glodwick, Westwood and Werneth)
• Oxford
• Peterborough
• Preston
• Rochdale
• Sheffield (especially Burngreave, Sharrow and Darnall)
• Slough
• Southampton
• Wolverhampton

[edit] See also

• Desi
• List of British Asian people
• List of British Asian owned businesses
• Pakistani Gangs

[edit] External links

• www.allinonline.co.uk Leading South Asian Community Portal
• SL2UK.com is a website dedicated to the Sri Lankan and South Indian communities living in the UK, including Interviews with prominent South Asians including A R Rahman, M.I.A, Jay Sean, Rishi Rich, etc.
• historytalking.com is a source of oral history of the Asian community in the UK
• paki.tv is a web project from the East India Dock of Former British Empire
• BBC Radio Player discussion on the dissatisfaction over the term Asian
• hWeb - An outline of the immigration pattern of the Pakistani community in Britain
• Dr Desi - Desi Lifestyle Magazine
• Weaver v NATFHE In the Weaver v NATFHE (now part of the UCU) race discrimination case an Industrial Tribunal upheld a union’s decision not to assist a British Asian woman lecturer who brought a case of racial harassment against a fellow worker at Bournville College of Further Education, Birmingham, because he could lose his job. The Employment Appeal Tribunal upheld the decision.

[edit] References

UK Census 2001-2011 "ethnic groups" [4]
"White" • "Mixed" • "Asian or British Asian" • "Black or Black British" • "Chinese or other ethnic group"