I got more abuse from my own community! (From Asian Image)

I got more abuse from my own community!

9:50am Wednesday 23rd March 2011 in Education By Humaira Mahmood

I am a foreign student and, before you jump to conclusions, we are not all here trying to get a visa!

People, and this goes for the Asian community too, have this view about foreign students.

For anyone who has come to a new country with different culture the experience can be daunting.

I came to England for a better future after graduating with a social work degree from Lahore College, Pakistan. However, my real passion was art and design so I came to Blackburn to study and have spent eight years in pursuit of qualif-ications and starting my career.

I graduated with BA (Hons) in Textiles and Design from Blackburn College and launched my own fashion label in 2010.

I initially struggled due to being on my own in an environment that was alien to me. No offence to Lancashire, which I love dearly, but coming from Lahore, which is a more cosmopolitan city, I found the this place a little bit of a shock.

I have experienced prejudice but, strangely enough, this has not come the indigenous population but from within my own community.

I have met two types of Asian people. The first type are open-minded and can live as British Muslims without thinking that makes them less Islamic.

The second type have lived in the UK for decades but don’t want to adapt because they think that doing so means they will lose their culture and values.

I found that quite disappointing and it led to people like me being criticised. Even if you wear modest clothes, like I do, this is not enough for some folk.

I belong to a family who gave me independence and the right to choose what I wanted to do in life.

People talk about racism in this country but my experience has been that the actual racism came from within the Asian community itself. When I wore jeans for the first time I was accused of being a Goree (English) wannabe!

I am proud of my religion, my culture, love Asian food, Asian dresses, Indian films, Asian weddings but at the same time I want to be part of society of this country.

I am glad to say many others do too.