Comments on: Aminul Hoque & The Paradox Of British Bangladeshi Identity

By: Philip

Philip — Thu, 25 Jun 2015 12:51:51 +0000

Wow. Can only echo the enthusiasm of the comments above. Great story, moving, recognisable and relevant but strangely under expressed. Definitely getting the book. I had a neighbour who boasted of his glory days in Paki-bashing. He told me “We used to gob on their backs.” I used to see him drinking mid-morning in the park. One time he wanted me to go on holidays with him and his brother “it’ll be great, there’s about fifty of us, it’s all taxi drivers.” Another time I met him badly beaten up, black eyes, blood encrusted face, crutches, the works. “Fucking Paki kids,” he said, but not with any bitterness, just a kind of shrug that to me suggested he was accustomed to some kind of a culture of violance, and had no other particular horizons.

By: Richard

Richard — Wed, 24 Jun 2015 08:16:02 +0000

What a fortunate accident you had Aminul! So interesting and rare to hear from the Bangladeshi community. All we get is extreme views being argued out in the media.

By: Laloy Ahmed

Laloy Ahmed — Tue, 23 Jun 2015 11:06:03 +0000

What a refreshing read. Finally we (Sylheti Bangladeshis) feel our voices are being heard after living such scrutinised and marginalised existence. As a British born Bangladeshi also growing up in the 8O’s we were either known or refereed to as ‘ABDUL’, ‘PAKI’ or ‘INDIAN’, ironically we were none of those and neither did we fit any of those descriptions. Yet me and my brothers strived to do well academically and force our way into creating our identities in the workplace.

Similarly to Aminuls trials and tribulations I too faced all these obstacles and ironically now face these from our very own community who think we have become anglicised and have forgotten our roots because we see ourselves as British.

Keep up the good work Aminul I have recommended this article to my friends who will benefit from your voice and indeed will have a role model to shout about.

By: Sundus Ali

Sundus Ali — Tue, 23 Jun 2015 10:31:23 +0000

A very interesting article. Reminded me of my own childhood growing up as a Bangladeshi in Whitechapel. Although i did not play football myself, i remember vividly the black/white divide in the school playgrounds and the horrible daily reality of racism. Now in my 30s, i often think back to my childhood days and have become more philosophical – we just did not understand each others cultural lifestyles and there was an element of two working class communities literally ‘fighting’ each other for scare local resources. It doesn’t excuse it. I am just trying to understand why? Thank you Rosie for telling this important and insightful story. It is important to read Aminul’s story because we all have similar experiences and have a shared history. It is vital that we document these stories of historical struggle and trauma.

Loved the black and white photos btw…

By: jeannette Smyth

jeannette Smyth — Tue, 23 Jun 2015 03:22:06 +0000

thank you ms. dastgir, always interesting to read about the last east end immigrants and — for an american — british racism. we have our problems this side of the pond, and it’s interesting to see how brits of color deal with it over there.

By: Caroline Bottomley

Caroline Bottomley — Mon, 22 Jun 2015 17:33:00 +0000

And by complete co-incidence, a friend forwarded this link to me – about the history of Sylheti writing in Britain (had never heard of Sylhet until today!)

Banglaphone Fiction:
http://www.3quarksdaily.com/3quarksdaily/2015/06/banglaphone-fiction-i.html

By: Caroline Bottomley

Caroline Bottomley — Mon, 22 Jun 2015 10:24:39 +0000

What an interesting and brave life you have led.
Thank you for sharing, I’m sure your childhood was not unusual but it’s awful – and important – to hear it.
I’ll look out for your book too

By: Carolyn Hollifield

Carolyn Hollifield — Mon, 22 Jun 2015 08:07:23 +0000

Excellent article! Very well written. Gives a sense of the difficulties of belonging and finding a place to call home. The alienation experienced by Aminul and his friends is reflected in several immigrant based communities and explains many of the problems we are experiencing today.

By: linda salter

linda salter — Mon, 22 Jun 2015 08:02:10 +0000

What an interesting and surprising read. If only this were more widely read and really understood…