British Pakistani Muslim from Scotland, AMA :)

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Fire away :)

Hello, I am Korean and spent some time in the UK for study.

Most British people were very kind. I felt comfortable there mostly. But sometimes I got some racist behaviour. Of course, you are born there but anyway do you get some racism too?

Sorry if it is sensitive question.

Hi are your ancestors Punjabi or Pashtun?

@NightsIn yes, to be fair I have suffered racism in Scotland and the rest of the UK but most of it comes from the simple fact that not enough is taught in schools of about other races and religions. A percentage of those are have racial tendencies are simply uneducated when it comes to race.

@Terralee from a Punjabi family :)

Thanks for answering

I've lived in an Arab country and there it was clear that despite sharing a religion there were clear divides between Arabs, Pakistanis and Indonesian Muslims which I can understand - religion isn't the only aspect that defines them, their cultural heritage would paly a part. But I've always wondered if in a country where Islam isn't the majority religion wether there would be more unity across such groups. So I suppose my question to you is, do you find that? For example are certain mosques more geared to particular cultures? Also, do you understand/speak Arabic and therefore understand the Quran or do you memorize it and read a translation for understanding?

Another question, in your experience how has the muslim community in Scotland responded to the BLM movement?

Hello, I’m from Gilgit-Balistan.

So you get asked about cricket a lot? I do, I hate cricket!

Whats your place to go for a day out in Scotland?

Which (general) part of Scotland?

Do you feel much culture clash?

How often do you go to Pakistan, if ever?

@Hotwaterbottlelove

Hi there

In relation to your first point, yes, culture heavily influences muslims all over the world. But the basic principles remain the same. But yes, in the UK I feel Muslims are more united and get on with each other a bit more just due to the fact that we do live in a country with such a small number of Muslims in comparison to other religions. My mosque is geared towards Pakistanis but welcomes Arabs and Iranians and many other faiths and many other mosques in Scotland are open to all cultures and even all religions. There was a time where the Arabs didn't have a mosque in Glasgow and my mosque let them have full run of the place until they found a place of their own :)

I can read Arabic but can't understand it or speak it. We learn to read the Quran in Arabic as it is as the language of the Prophet but its explained to us through sermons in English or Urdu. And we are encouraged to read the the Quran in English too or in our own native languages. The Quran itself is available in every language.

In terms of BLM movement in Scotland within Muslims. I feel the lockdown really affected how much Muslims responded. All the mosques issued statements in support of the movement but were limited in how much they could do due to lockdown. Mosques have to be very careful in general during these times as people can be quite harsh if they don't adhere to rules simply because they're Muslim.

Your questions were very interesting! Thanks for asking.

@SimonJT

Haha yes I get asked about cricket loads! Simply because I'm Pakistani. Always get asked about India playing Pakistan.

Perfect place for me to go in Scotland is by far Loch Lomond. Its absolutely breathtaking.

@BiscuitLovers098124

I live near Glasgow :) there can be a culture clash in certain areas yes, I live amongst mostly White British people and didn't go to school or work with many Muslims. So I do have to explain a lot of things and get asked lots of questions. Its amazing how little some people know about other religions and cultures in such a diverse part of the world (the UK).

Thanks for the responses. It's good to hear that there is more unity across communities.

I have some more questions if that's okay? Are there any aspects of Pakistani and Scottish culture that people might be surprised to find are very similar or closely aligned? I think so many people focus on differences but I like to draw out similarities. (My own mixed background often brings out negative connotations that people have and I pride myself in helping people become aware of how English culture isn't all that different)

Another question, do you ever feel you have to be extra smiley and friendly to win white people over? I recall a Bangladeshi woman explaining that she felt she had to do this and I thought it sounded exhausting and unfair.

Also, within the community, do you see trends in children's names in the same way the rest of the UK does? By that I mean names coming in or going out of fashion quickly and an increase in people trying to come up with ever more 'individual' names? If so, what are the current cool names?

@Hotwaterbottlelove yeahh ask away! No issue at all.

To be honest, I don't think I've ever really thought about what's similar so I'm not entirely sure I can answer that questions 🙈

But I totally relate to that Bangladeshi women. I do personally feel the need to be kinder to certain people.. not always but if I'm in a city or place where I doubt many Muslims go or even sometimes if I'm walking down the street, I do feel the need to smile. And the other day when I had my mask on this old White British man sort of gave me a funny look and I smiled and then realised he couldn't see me smiling! It is unfair but I sometimes do it without thinking and then afterwards realise I've done it.

The name thing, yes, names become really popular very suddenly and come and go. It can sometimes be Islamic names or sometimes names that are popular in Pakistan due to tv shows etc. Muhammad is a name that is ALWAYS popular. But these days names such as Ariana for girls or even Ana are very popular. For boys, Adam is a popular name for British Muslims and also Aliza.