Asian-Scots

Asian-Scots or Scottish Asians is a term used for people of South Asian ancestry who were born in Scotland, or for South Asian immigrants.

In British usage, the term does not include East Asians, who are known by their respective national origins (e.g. Chinese, Japanese, Malaysians and others) or under the umbrella term "Oriental". It also does not include western Asians, such as Turks.

Communities

Scotland's South Asian population of more than 70,000 is mostly of Pakistani origin and are concentrated around the urban areas, such as Greater Glasgow, Edinburgh and Dundee. However, there are Asian communities in places as small as Stornoway and as far north as Aberdeen.^[1]

• Dundee - 4,000 Asians (especially the Hilltown and Stobswell)
• Edinburgh - 10,000 Asians
• Glasgow (and surrounding Greater Glasgow area) - 35,000 Asians (especially Pollokshields, Pollokshaws, Govanhill and Woodlands)

Notable Scottish Asians

• Aneela Rahman
• Ali Abbasi
• Farah Noor Adams
• Bashir Ahmad - SNP politician who in 2007 became the first MSP to be elected from an Asian-Scots background.^[2]
• Aamer Anwar, human rights lawyer
• Bashabi Fraser, writer
• Majid Haq, Cricket Scotland
• Omer Hussain, Cricket Scotland
• Nasim Marie Jafry, writer
• Anwar Khan, journalist
• Hardeep Singh Kohli
• Sanjeev Kohli
• Bashir Maan
• Vishal Marwaha
• Aasmah Mir
• Shereen Nanjiani
• Robina Qureshi
• Misbah Rana
• Suhayl Saadi, writer
• Mohammed Sarwar
• Leela Soma, writer
• Humza Yousaf SNP MSP for the Glasgow region. The first Scots-Asian born in Scotland to become an MSP.
• Hanzala Malik Labour MSP for the Glasgow region. The first Scots-Asian MSP from the Labour party.

Popular culture

• Ae Fond Kiss... (film on New Scots)
• Bombay Talkie (band)
• Nina's Heavenly Delights
• A Meeting of Two Minds, Bashabi Fraser (book)
• Bengal Partition Stories, Bashabi Fraser (book)
• Life, Bashabi Fraser (book)
• Tartan and Turban, Bashabi Fraser (book)
• The Ganga and the Tay, Bashabi Fraser (book)
• Indian Takeaway: A Very British Story, Hardeep Singh Kohli, Canongate, 2009 (book)
• The State of Me, Nasim Marie Jafry, The Friday Project, 2008 (book)
• The New Scots: The Story of Asians in Scotland, Bashir Maan, John Donald Publishers, 1992 (book)
• The Thistle and the Crescent, Bashir Maan, Argyll Publishing, 2008
• The Burning Mirror, Suhayl Saadi, Polygon, 2001 (book)
• Psychoraag, Suhayl Saadi, Black and White Publishing, 2004 (book)
• Joseph's Box, Suhayl Saadi, Two Ravens Press, 2009 (book)
• The Dark Island, 2004, Suhayl Saadi (BBC 4 radio play)
• The Garden of the Fourteenth Moon, 2006, Suhayl Saadi (stage play)
• Bombay Baby, Leela Soma, Dahlia Publishing, 2011, (book)

See also

• Demographics of Scotland
• Hinduism in Scotland
• Islam in Scotland
• Sikhism in Scotland
• Scottish people
• British Asian
• New Scots

References