香港六合彩中特网

Even though British Bangladeshis are less than one percent of the total population of the UK, the risk of death from Covid-19 is approximately twice as likely for British Bangladeshis than those of white British ethnicity in the UK. These bitter findings, reported by Public Health England, point to the many socioeconomic inequalities between my community and other segments of the UK population at large.聽

But what is the British-Bangladeshi community and how did this community start? What is the story of people like me, who were born and raised in Britain of parents and grandparents who come from another? What kind of struggles did they face then and how can we learn from them now? In this historically minded piece, I explore answers to these questions moving between my family history and the history of the community.聽

Setting off 鈥� the 1950s and 1960s

(The rice harvests in my village in Sylhet, Bangladesh. Photo by me, December 2018.)

Like many other British Bangladeshis, my origins in England start with the older generation of grandfathers, fathers, and uncles who migrated to England in the 1950s and 60s. Although I never got to meet my grandfather, Nana (as I call him in Bangla), he was the first to migrate to England in my family. He was the son of a business owner who owned land which allowed him to travel across Asia and live a life outside the lush rice fields in his village in Sylhet (one of Bangladesh鈥檚 7 divisions located in North Eastern Bangladesh). However, the availabilities of visas and work opportunities for Commonwealth citizens gave Nana a new scope to travel again and widen his horizons, this time in Europe.

Although England is a tiring 10-hour long flight away from Bangladesh, the two regions have already established connections that run deep in history. Primarily, this was with the presence of the British East India Company in the Bengal region, which included modern-day Bangladesh, and its control over it, starting in 1757 after Company victory in the Battle of Plassey which gave them sovereign powers over the region. As Company rule commenced, so did the use of Bengali labour and resources for economic endeavours. One such labour were 鈥榣ascar鈥� seamen who often travelled to and from Bengal to England via ships as workers who worked on the ships.

Unlike those travelling by ship, Nana set off by himself from Sylhet to England travelling by plane in the 1960s. This was a distinct feature in modern immigration which also indicated the socioeconomic backgrounds of those travelling from Bangladesh, as some could afford the plane ticket whilst others could not.聽

For many Bangladeshi men, the 鈥榩ush鈥� out of the motherland and into unfamiliar England came in consequence of financial struggles. Bangladesh was then East Pakistan, the eastern flank of a divided new nation for South Asia鈥檚 Muslims, formed in 1947 out of the old British Indian empire. It inherited a mainly agrarian economy that was devastated in the 1960s: it was (and still is) prone to disastrous cyclones and flooding that cause much damage to infrastructure. The 鈥榩ull鈥� factor was the availabilities of visas, the so-called 鈥榁oucher Migration鈥� in the 1960s. By making work visas available to men like Nana, the British government enabled many Bangladeshi men to work and earn a living in Britain. Some owned restaurants and businesses, but most opportunities were concentrated in unskilled and semi-skilled work in small factories and the textile trade in industrial places like Tower Hamlets, east London, Nana working in a plastic toy factory.聽

New beginnings 鈥� the 1970s

(My grandfather, second from the left, with members of his family. London, 1976)

After working for a few years over 4,000 miles away from home, Nana returned to visit family in the 1970s. His health was not in good condition and on advice of a British nurse, contemplated bringing his family to Britain to live with and take care of him. Except, upon his return, war broke out in 1971 between East Pakistan and West Pakistan. East Pakistanis (Bangladeshis) fought for their freedom from rule by a government that treated them like a colony. The defeat of the West Pakistan army brought freedom and birthed a new nation 鈥� Bangladesh; the war is known to Bangladeshis as their War of Independence. Many Bangladeshi migrant workers returned to serve in this cause, Nana too serving as a commander for the 鈥楳ukhti Bahini鈥�, Bangladeshi Freedom Fighters, of his local area. From thereon, Nana was appointed chief chairman of this locality where he was responsible for the overall wellbeing of the villagers and became a well-respected figure head of his community.

Although Bangladeshis won the 9-month War of Independence in December 1971, this victory came with its many struggles. Damages to infrastructure to an already economically struggling country prompted mass migration out of the country. Plus, the Bangladesh health sector was not well developed and so Nana did not have access to the good healthcare that he needed. So, Nana decided to return to Britain in 1976, this time with some members of his family on a more permanent basis. Out of 9 children, only 3 joined him which included my mother. This was because the Immigration Act restricted the age limit of dependent children to under 18 years old only. The Act also stipulated that only those in possession of a voucher that showed that they had a job awaiting them could migrate back. These restrictions dissuaded the type of to-and-fro immigration of the 1950s and 60s incentivising the permanent settlement of Bangladeshis in Britain.聽

And so, the 1970s marked a time of increased immigration of Bangladeshis to Britain and the rapid growth of the community. Bangladeshi families joined their relatives in England progressing into what is known as 鈥榗hain migration鈥� 鈥� explaining the large Sylheti population in places like Tower Hamlets today.聽

However, settling and raising a family in an unfamiliar country with a different language, customs, weather, and environment, was no easy task. Although Nana was accustomed to Britain, his family were not, and so he took it upon himself to teach my mother, a little girl at the time, in Bangla and English, and even how to read the Quran (the holy book of Islam) which is in Arabic.聽

For some other Bangladeshi families, poor social housing was a great issue as they were often discriminatingly not offered houses in new builds, leading to problems like overcrowding. This still has its implications on many British Bangladeshis in the East End today especially during the current pandemic. For those living in poor social housing and overcrowded settings, it is difficult to self-isolate and quarantine and so their risks from Covid-19 exponentially increases due to these possible factors, as reported by Public Health England. It has been over 40 years after the likes of Nana immigrated to Britain, and yet still, some of their descendants face similar issues which have been exacerbated by the current global health crisis and, in some cases, structural racism as recently argued by Doreen Lawrence, the mother of Stephen Lawrence who was murdered in a racist attack in 1993, in a more recent report (listed in the sources section).聽

However, despite the issues of discrimination in poor social housing, many British Bangladeshis growing up in the 1970s and 80s, including my mother, would say that the biggest social threat was racism.聽

Racism

(Two women passing by graffiti by National Front, a far-right wing fascist political part in the UK, supporters in Brick Lane, 1978. Photo by Paul Trevor.)

Heightened hostility towards immigrants came consequently as Enoch Powell (then Conservative MP for Wolverhampton South West) made his infamous 鈥楻ivers of Blood鈥� speech against immigration in 1968. He was critical of the Race Relations Bill that later became an Act of Parliament, that made it illegal to refuse housing, employment, and public services based on race. Powell stated in his speech that 鈥渋n 15 or 20 years鈥� time, the black man will have the whip hand over the white man鈥� (Goodall, April 2018).

This polemical speech caused a major divide in the UK leading to increased racist attacks on immigrants. Nana and his family were subject to this as my mother recalls being racially slurred as a聽
鈥淧aki鈥� while simply walking down the street in the 80s, a period often characterised by the popularity of 鈥淧aki-bashing鈥�. She also relates to me when she was bullied in school and how she could not complain since she did not speak English at the time, prompting Nana to make several repeated complaints to the school about this.

With these imminent threats, how did the Bangladeshi community cope in this environment of fear? One way of coping was through replicating village familial traditions. For example, Nana鈥檚 role as chairman meant he had to manage and distribute food and provisions in his locality during famine seasons. Also, if someone in the village (usually an extended relative) was attacked, the whole family would offer their support and protection to demonstrate and strengthen the family bond. This was somewhat mirrored and contextualised in the British context as the Bangladeshi community supported each other helping in work, food, and even finding marriage partners for their children.

A good example of this has manifested itself in a 3-building complex in Whitechapel serving as a Mosque and community centre; the East London Mosque. For many Muslims in the East End, including myself, the Mosque symbolised community, and a safe space for British Muslims to practice their faith whilst also providing wider opportunities and services in education, legal services, supporting the homeless, funerals, and weddings.聽

As for protection of the community, some young British Bangladeshis took it upon themselves to band together and actively resist and protest the brutality caused by racists that became too damaging to bear.聽

Activism 聽

(Protest against racist attacks, Brick Lane, 1978. Photo by Paul Trevor)

By the late 1970s, Nana became critically ill forcing him to live in retirement in his home in Wapping. But around this time, the younger generation of British Bangladeshis were making their mark thorough their activism. In 1978, 7,000 people marched to Downing Street and Hyde Park calling for an end to racism, Nazism, and the heightened racist attacks in the East End after the murder of Altab Ali, a British Bangladeshi, in 1978 by racists just off Aldgate East. Indeed, this was a significant turning point in the politicisation of Bengalis in East London. The 1980s birthed a period of several Bangladeshi youth activist groups who saw it necessary to group together in defence of racist attacks. Groups like the Bengali Youth Movement, Bangladesh Youth Front and Bangladesh Youth League actively protested racism and formed alliances with those outside the Bangladeshi community like the Anti-Nazi league and Jewish East End activists, making Brick Lane the centre of Bengali activism.聽

Bengalis increased their presence in government and local authorities, supporting the local community through councils, and community centres that offered advice and services regarding welfare, housing, health, and immigration. My mother herself, as a young employee, working in the housing sector and organising local community projects that focussed on family health 鈥� a vitally important subject to her as she witnessed her parents battle life-threatening illnesses.聽

End of an era, start of a new age

My mother witnessed how Nana鈥檚 health gradually withered away, slowing his drive for adventure and fatigued the youthful energy he once had travelling between Asia and Europe. In July 1982, Nana peacefully passed away in his home in Wapping having suffered from severe asthma. His funeral prayer was held in the East London Mosque and his body returned to his home in Sylhet to finally lay at rest. All the while, the Bengali community continued to expand moving from strength to strength. A new era of British-born ethnic Bengalis, like myself, were curating their own identities, paying tribute, and feeling proud of our roots in resilience of elders that immigrated to Britain like my Nana who shaped and contributed to much of my life today.聽

During these difficult times, Nana鈥檚 story inspires me greatly. I take lessons of resilience, adventure, opportunity-seeking, and opportunity-making. If anything, and very much needed, Nana鈥檚 story and the history of British Bangladeshis teaches me the importance of community, especially during times of collective hardship. Through support, generosity, and compassion, we can overcome our collective struggles in this pandemic and elsewhere, whether that be social inequalities or racism.聽

As a marginalised group, British Bangladeshis still face socioeconomic hardships today that have been exacerbated by the current health crisis. However, one thing for sure, and one thing I am reminded of when I think of my Nana, is that the community, my community, continues to persevere as they have done throughout Bengali and British history.聽

Written by Adila Mir.

• Das, Tulshi Kumar. 'Migration of Sylhetis to the United Kingdom: An Exploration', Social Work Chronicle, ii (2013).
• Glynn, Sarah. Class, ethnicity and religion in the Bengali East End: A political history (Manchester, 2014).
• Goodall, Lewis (2018). 'Enoch Powell's Rivers of Blood: The speech that divided a nation', Sky News, 24 April.
• Syal Rajeev (2020). 'Structural racism led to worse Covid impact on BAME groups - report', The Guardian, 27 October.
• Schendel, William van. A History of Bangladesh (Cambridge, 2009).
• Trevor, Paul. "1978... The day Asian community took to the streets around Brick Lane in the battle to stop racist murders by thugs". Search for those involved in 1978 'Battle of Brick Lane' for heritage project about Altab Ali's murder, Mike Brooke, The Docklands & East London Advertiser, 30 Sept. 2019, (Accessed: 27 Oct. 2020).
• Trevor, Paul. "Two women passing by graffiti by National Front supporters in Brick Lane, 1978". Heritage project remembers those in the 1978 Brick Lane 'uprising' after Altab Ali's murder, Mike Brooke, The Docklands & East London Advertiser, 8 Oct. 2019, . (Accessed: 27 Oct. 2020).
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