Introduction
Note: Pakistanis and British Pakistani communities are vastly different from Indian, Sri Lankan, Bangladeshi and other South Asian groups. We must be mindful and recognise these differences.
British Pakistanis are the second-largest ethnic minority population in the United Kingdom. Their presence and contribution in the steel and textile industries and the NHS has been significant in the rebuilding of Britain after the Second World War.
Predominantly a Muslim group, an Equality and Human Rights Commission report states that people of Pakistani origin are 52 times more likely to be stopped and interrogated at UK airports1 than any other minority ethnicity. This is not helped by images of Pakistan in the media which often eliminate the stunning natural beauty of the country. We also mustn’t forget the positive stories that empower a younger generation who are both British and Pakistani.
Read on to take a deep dive into the fascinating culture of Pakistan and it’s tremendous influence within Britain.
The Mughal (or Mogul) Empire, a Muslim dynasty of Turkic-Mongol origin, ruled most of northern India and Pakistan from the early 16th to the mid- 18th century.1 It was considered one of the largest, centralised states in premodern history and was the precursor to the British Indian Empire. — Shah Jahān Mughal Emperor [2018]
History
The Mughal dynasty was notable for its more than two centuries of effective rule over much of India and Pakistan. Babur, descendent of Genghis Khan, combined strength and courage with a love of beauty, and military ability with cultivation and was the first in the dynasty to gain control of north-western India in 1526.
Later, Abu Akbar, the third Emperor, became regarded as one of the great rulers of all time. He believed that all religions should be tolerated and was responsible for creating a centralised and delegated government with respect for human rights bringing opportunities based on ability rather than birth.
Akbar also ended a tax (jizya) that had been imposed on non-Muslims. This discriminatory tax had been much resented and ending it proved popular. This system of administration, known as the mansabdari, was the backbone of the Mughal Empire; its effectiveness depended on the personal loyalty to the Emperor.
Akbar’s son, Emperor Jahangir, began building the magnificent monuments and gardens by which the Mughals are chiefly remembered today, importing hundreds of Persian architects to build palaces and create magnificent gardens. Jahangir’s approach was epitomised by the development of Urdu as the official language of the Empire. Urdu sees an Arabic script, Persian vocabulary and Hindi grammatical structures.
The architectural achievements of the Mughals peaked between 1592 and 1666, during the reign of Jahangir’s successor Jahan who commissioned the Taj Mahal, a symbol of stability, power and confidence. The Badshahi Mosque in Lahore, Pakistan, one of the largest mosques in the world, is also the creation of the Mughal Empire.
To my mind the greatest Mughal contribution...was in the form of patronage to the arts. Whether it was building, artisanal crafts like weaving and metalworking, or fine arts like painting, they set standards of taste and perfection that became an example for others to follow, and brought India [and modern day Pakistan] the global recognition for high quality handmade goods that it still enjoys. — Swapna Liddle, Author and contributor to the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural HeritageJahan’s son, Aurangzeb, was the last great Mughal Emperor, known as a strong leader, whose conquests expanded the Mughal Empire to its greatest size. Aurangzeb was a very observant and religious Muslim who ended the policy of religious tolerance and as such his rule was unstable.
Many Hindu kingdoms rebelled, often supported by the French and British who used them to tighten their grip on the sub-continent. Aurangzeb’s extremism caused Mughal territory and creativity to dry up and the Empire went into decline. Mughal Emperors that followed Aurangzeb effectively became British or French puppets. The last Mughal Emperor was deposed by the British in 1858. (For more on Britain’s subsequent rule of India, see Indian History section)
The Islamic Republic of Pakistan is relatively young. It was created as part of The Partition of India in August 1947 which saw the end of the British 200 year-long rule of the Indian Empire.
After the 1947 partition of India, Pakistan originally consisted of two parts, West Pakistan (now Pakistan)and East Pakistan (now known as Bangladesh). East Pakistan was separated from Pakistan by a 1,000-mile stretch of India.
Bangladesh gained independence from Pakistan in 1971. As this separation only occurred 50 years ago, for those in their 70s and 80s there is a real sense of overlap between the Bangladeshi and Pakistani communities.
Following the Second World War, the breakup of the British Empire and the construction of the Mangla Dam in Pakistan (which left many displaced), the immigration of South Asians from India and Pakistan to the United Kingdom increased, especially during the 1950s and 60s.
The Indian Partition created economic and social upheaval as millions crossed the new borders into what they had hoped would be safer territory, with Muslims heading towards Pakistan, and Hindus and Sikhs in the direction of India.
Many people lost lives and homes, riots were triggered as well as a wave of mass migration, leading many to respond to Britain’s call for help to rebuild and reinvigorate the economy in the aftermath of the Second World War.
Through the 1950s, many hundreds of thousands of immigrants from India, Pakistan and the Caribbean islands came to Britain not just for short-term work, but settling for good, in search of a better life.
This marked the symbolic start of the post-war immigration boom. The majority of settlers from Pakistan and Bangladesh in the 1950s filled manual jobs in steel mills and the textiles industry and due to poor English skills, many were unable to progress in terms of employment or to interact with the wider population.
Seventy-five percent were from Pakistan administered Kashmir– Mirpur region and they were largely uneducated compared to Pakistanis who came from places like Lahore and Karachi who were educated.
In the 1960s, South Asian immigrants, played a large role in the NHS with doctors from India and Pakistan coming in huge numbers in response to an appeal by the then health minister Enoch Powell. More than 18,000 subsequently arrived in the UK and it was reported in 2003 that in the Rhondda valley, in Wales, 73% of GPs were South Asian.
This is not the first time Pakistan came to Britain’s aid. Pre-partition, the 400,000 Indian soldiers who fought for Britain in World War One is one of the war’s least-known stories. Only 2% of people are aware that a Muslim force from an undivided India – present-day Pakistan, India and Bangladesh – fought and died alongside British troops.
However, settlement in the UK has not been easy for South Asian and black first generation immigrants. “… some people forget that South Asians in the UK went through a real struggle and the word “P*ki” evolved around the 1960s. People don’t realise that word can be a big deal... [My mum] grew up in Birmingham as a Pakistani and got P*ki-bashed every day. As soon as school finished it was like a race. She’d have to run home because if she was caught outside where all the kids were hanging out, she was gonna get beaten up.” - Mariah Idrissi, the first Muslim, hijab-wearing model in the UK.
In the 1960s, racism towards black Caribbean and South Asian immigrants was widespread- it wasn’t until the mid-60s that discrimination because of skin colour was made illegal. With an increasing concern over rising immigration, the government imposed a series of Immigration Acts which, by the end of the 1960s, had effectively ended migration into Britain from the Caribbean and Indian sub-continent.
Black and South Asian communities felt under attack. A country that had welcomed them in had turned their back on them.
I realised the colour of my skin somehow disqualifies me from being British. Stranger still, I would never identify as English, but British. Which to me meant one thing, my nationality was British, but my identity was not. British Pakistani is an actual identity, after all we have a lot of British culture, the mannerisms, we understand the humour, our language and of course who doesn’t like fish and chips on a Friday, and a cheeky beans on toast . We truly are part British and part Pakistani. — The British-Pakistani Identity Crisis [2016]Culture
Pakistan’s culture itself is a fascinating melting pot of Indian, Persian, Afghan, Central Asian, South Asian and Western Asian influences thanks to its historical, geographical and ethnic diversity. Some of this diversity can be seen in the textiles which vary according to region.
For young people growing up as British and Pakistani, their identity is made up of both cultural influences. However, there is some evidence that for some younger generations, Pakistan does not hold the same connection as for their parents or grandparents. The third generation still feel broadly part of their Pakistani community but it is one of their groups rather than the only one.
And while British Pakistanis have much in common with each other, they are also differentiated, geographically, by generation and religion. Pakistanis living in Yorkshire and Lancashire, for example, are likely to identify themselves as Muslims before identifying themselves as Pakistanis, whereas some first-generation British Pakistanis identify themselves by their caste and region rather than by their religion or country of origin.
However, amongst an ethnically rich and diverse country, there are uniting and overarching values common to all Pakistanis.
Islam instructs Muslims to wholeheartedly help the needy and the destitute without considering their color, creed, race or religion. — Muslim Beliefs
RELIGION
91% of British Pakistanis identify as Muslim1 and religion forms a large part of their identity. In a 2003 survey by the University of Glasgow, Pakistanis living in Scotland felt more ‘at home’ than the English living in Scotland. They found English perceptions of identity primarily influenced by birthplace but Pakistanis defined themselves by religion.
The UK Muslim population was 1.55 million in 2001 increasing to around 3.4 million in recent years. The Muslim community itself is ethnically diverse with the largest ethnic category being Asian (73.7%) in which Pakistanis represent the highest population overall at 42.5%.4 The UK has around 1,500 mosques or prayer rooms.
The core of Islam is within the word itself: to serve, worship, and lovingly submit to God. Allah is the Arabic word for God. Islam itself is a diverse religion with different schools of thought or sects and Pakistanis are mainly of the Sunni sect. You can see this visual representation for more information on the different branches of Islam.
Among Sunnis, Sufism (an approach that emphasises introspection and spiritual closeness with God) is extremely popular and influential. Sufism has produced some of the world’s most beloved literature including poetry, art and calligraphy and continues to be an influence today.
In Pakistan, interpretations of Islam and levels of conservatism vary throughout the country and many Pakistanis do not adhere to a traditional understanding of the religion.
For example, many Muslim women in Pakistan choose not to wear a hijab. The most common covering is a ‘dupatta’, which is a light cloth that is arranged over the head whilst still exposing most of the neck and some hair.
Islamic law, known as Sharia, influences the legal code in most Muslim countries. Also meaning ‘path’ in Arabic, the idea is that Sharia guides Muslim life, including daily routines, familial and religious obligations, and financial dealings.
However, there are a lot of different attitudes and interpretations of Sharia, with some Muslim countries being supportive/against it. A Pew Research Center survey of Muslims in 39 countries asked whether they want Sharia law to be the official law of the land in their country. Responses to this question vary widely. Nearly all Muslims in Afghanistan (99%) and most in Iraq (91%) and Pakistan (84%) support Sharia law as official law. But in some other countries, especially in Eastern Europe and Central Asia – including Turkey (12%), Kazakhstan (10%) and Azerbaijan (8%) – relatively few favour the implementation of Sharia law.
In the same survey, most Muslims around the world strongly reject violence in the name of Islam. Pakistani Boxer, Amir Khan also said: “I get called a terrorist, a P*** and racial names like that on social media all the time. Me being a Muslim – and I’m totally against terrorism by the way – I think some people are always going to point the finger.”
Many majority Muslim countries have a dual system in which the government is secular but Muslims can choose to bring familial and financial disputes to Sharia courts. Western countries are also exploring the idea of allowing Muslims to apply Islamic law in familial and financial disputes. There are an estimated 30 established Sharia councils in the UK, according to a 2012 study from the University of Reading.
FOOD
Since the 1960s, Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi curry houses have popped up all over Britain.
These restaurants were started by the early waves of migrants from the Indian subcontinent who were young men who had left their families back home. This resulted in Pakistani restaurants becoming male-dominated spaces.
However, in most Pakistani households, women are skilled cooks. Older female relatives pass down cherished recipes and men are usually taught kitchen skills by their mothers. Today, a new generation of female Pakistani chefs are paving a new landscape for Pakistani food by bringing home-style curries and bun kababs (a sandwich native to Pakistan) to supper clubs and street food stalls.
Aida Khan, the chef and founder of Shola Karachi Kitchen supper club in West London spotted an opportunity to innovate Pakistani food in London.
“It is important to me that my sons who are growing up in London understand Pakistani flavours and their meals comprise healthy and simple dishes that I grew up eating….Food was a huge part of my upbringing in Karachi. My mother’s family migrated to Pakistan from Hyderabad Deccan in India and a lot of my cooking reflects its cuisine such as baghare baingan and tamatar ki chutney.”
Pakistani food is a wonderful blend of Indian, Far Eastern and Middle Eastern influences. This creates a distinctive mix of complex and mouth-watering flavours. Meals tend to be eaten with the right hand and naan bread or roti is used to scoop up curries and accompaniments as is the practice in Muslim culture.
Fragrant spices like saffron, coriander, mint, cardamom, cinnamon and cloves are the staple of many dishes. Rooh Afza is a vibrant red coloured syrup popular in India and Pakistan. The syrup is mixed with water or milk and served chilled. In the month of Ramadan, it is served as a refreshing drink at Iftar, to break the fast.
ENTS: SPORT AND FILM
Sport, like food and religion sits at the heart of Pakistan culture. Traditional sports like Kabaddi (a contact sport also known as ‘the game of struggle’) and Rassa Kashi (tug of war) as well as hockey and football are played, but cricket is by far the most popular sport and is seen as a way of life.
Pakistan takes pride in its dedication to cricket, and has taken home honours including winning the Cricket World Cup in 1992 (runner-up in 1999) and winning the ICC World Twenty20 in 2009 (runner-up in 2007). Some of the best cricketers in the world like Waqar Younis, Wasim Akram, Javed Miandad, Imran Khan, Ramiz Raja and many more are from Pakistan.
In fact, Imran Khan became the 22nd Prime Minister of Pakistan in 2018. Khan was also appointed as Chancellor of Bradford University in 2005. Khan studied economics and politics at Keble College, Oxford.
When it comes to film, Lollywood and Pakistani dramas have a strong following and they are known for their compelling story-telling and characterisations. Many Pakistanis in the UK watch these dramas as they form the backdrop of many British Pakistani households.
Lollywood films range from action to romance, comedy and drama. Main Hoon Shahid Afridi is a film that portrays the dream of thousands of young boys in Pakistan, of all classes, who aspire to pursue a career in cricket and explains the complex emotions Pakistanis associate with cricket and why cricket legends such as Shahid Afridi are the nation’s go-to role models.
FESTIVALS
Muharram and Hajj
Muharram marks the beginning of the Islamic New Year and is a time of remembrance and reflection. The Islamic calendar (also called the Hijri calendar) is based on the cycle of the moon and consists of 12 months in a year of 354 or 355 days. The Islamic year of 1441 ran from August 31, 2019, to August 20, 2020.
Hajj is Arabic for ‘pilgrimage’ and is a five day religious pilgrimage where Muslims across the world embark on an incredible journey to Mecca. It takes place once a year in the 12th and final month of the Islamic lunar calendar. Mecca is where the prophet Muhammad was born and where he received the first revelations from Allah that went on to become the Quran, the holy book read by Muslims.
The pilgrimage serves as a unifying force in Islam by bringing followers of diverse background together in religious celebration.
Ramadam and Eid
The month of Ramadan is the holiest month, and is rooted in culture, faith and history. It is the time when Muslims fast from dawn to dusk across the globe, and is marked with vibrant celebrations that are unique to their region and passed on through generations.”
The act of fasting is an act of worship, a chance to get closer to God, and a way to become more compassionate to those in need. Fasting is also seen as a way to learn patience and break bad habits.
There are two significant Eid festivals (Eid in Arabic translates as ‘Festival’ or ‘Celebration’). Ramadan ends with three days of festivities otherwise known as Eid al-Fitr where Muslims gather to pray, eat, exchange gifts, and pay their respects to deceased relatives.
Eid-ul-Adha comes at the end of the time linked to the annual pilgrimage of the Hajj. The purpose of these festivities is to celebrate, remember, and venerate the devotion and submission of the Prophet Ibrahim to Allah.
LANGUAGE
The official number of languages actively spoken in Pakistan is between 73 and 76 but English and Urdu are the official languages of Pakistan despite them not being the most common first languages.
Pashto, Punjabi and Urdu are the major languages spoken amongst the Pakistani community here in Britain, in addition to English. Punjabi – which is also spoken by millions of people in neighbouring India – is spoken natively by about 50% of the population of Pakistan, while Pashto – which is also one of the major languages of Afghanistan – is spoken by around 20%. The next largest language in Pakistan in terms of numbers of speakers is Sindhi, at around 15%; this, too, is also spoken in India. There are also large numbers of Urdu speakers in India too where there are larger Muslim communities.
In Asian tradition, parents look after children who, in turn, look after parents: elderly relatives being cared for inside the family is something that Asians have taken great pride in, something that separated them from the supposedly heartless western custom of throwing mum and dad into a home. — Asian Parents In Care Homes [2011]FAMILY AND COLLECTIVISM
Pakistani society is not led by individualism but rather by collectivism, where family and other relationships stand strong. The tight family unit means that many Pakistanis live in multigenerational households whereby three, four or sometimes five generations reside together (including grandparents, uncles, siblings and cousins).
This means that family are a fundamental support network and the concept of ‘wasta’ – relationship forming – becomes central to this family dynamic. People generally rely on their relatives more than anyone else for financial, social and employment opportunities. This also makes the concept of caring for the aged a strong value in Pakistani families.
It’s also worth noting that traditional arranged marriages are not religious but also a part of the family closeness. Many Pakistani marriages are arranged but some younger generations are now choosing who they marry.
Weddings are a glamorous, vibrant, colourful and extravagant occasion, typically made up of a vast number of events occurring over a few days.
HONOUR
Honour (known as ‘izzat’ in Hindi-Urdu) plays a significant part in Pakistani culture. A person’s ‘honour’ is affected by their personal actions as well as associated actions (their family, community or any group they belong to). Doing something embarrassing, socially inappropriate or indecent can bring serious shame (‘sharam’) upon a person.
This can lead to a cultural pressure for individuals to protect their personal reputation and of those around them. This may lead to people stressing their positive qualities and emphasising their family member’s achievements to reinforce their honour in public.
Perceptions of dishonour and shame is known to have very real effects on people’s future opportunities and circumstances.
What is ‘honourable’ and ‘shameful’ though can also vary by generation. The younger Pakistani generation generally do not feel the need to stringently apply the honour code and will often hide certain ‘shameful’ actions they consider reasonable from the older generations who might be deeply offended by such behaviours.
Due to the homogenisation of the ‘South Asian’ identity, we’d encourage you to read the Indian and Bangladeshi chapters too where the stereotypes follow broader ‘South Asians’. We’ve aimed to focus on Pakistani portrayal specifically where possible.
In a research report by the UK Film Council in 2011, it was found that Pakistanis can feel excluded from UK film, with very few Pakistani actors and actresses featuring in mainstream film in the UK. Furthermore, it was also felt that where Pakistanis are portrayed, this is often done inaccurately.
More recently, we are seeing improvements in representation of South Asians more broadly making up 7% of all on-screen appearances (in broadcast peak scripted television). However, it was reported that many ethnic minorities feel the quality of portrayal across soaps, chat shows, lifestyle and panel shows is limited and can feel tokenistic.
“When people in minority ethnic groups appear on television in the UK, as presenters, celebrity guests or in character roles, it can feel tokenistic, and apart from a few exceptions, character roles are usually deemed superficial, peripheral and limited.” Ofcom 2018
“Just because there are more it doesn’t mean that it’s getting better. I feel it’s all this quota system thing. …It is the organisations ticking the boxes that you need to tick... It makes you wonder if they are there on merit or whatever” - Male 55+ South Asian Leicester
Ofcom’s Representation and Portrayal of Audiences on BBC Television research stated that big soaps and popular dramas, were felt to be a rich territory for diverse representation and portrayal, providing visibility, tackle difficult issues, and help inform and educate others. However, they still carry the risk of tokenistic, stereotyped and extreme portrayal when the pressure for dramatic storylines causes lapses in credibility.
Religion and family play a key role in many Pakistani lives and as such, can lead to feelings of misrepresentation. Strong religious beliefs and respect for family can play a factor in feeling misrepresented. These factors also mean it wouldn’t be acceptable for a Pakistani actor to be shown on screen swearing, drinking or engaging in sexual activity and as many UK film roles require this, it is acknowledged by the community that this can contribute to the lack of opportunities for Pakistani talent in the film and media industry.
However, in this catch 22 scenario, this does lead to under-representation on screens, which for younger Pakistani generations who are growing up in western culture can be problematic, as they aren’t able to relate to characters other than those that are stereotypically typecast. This does open up opportunities for Pakistani actors to be cast for their agency and skill in other every day roles while bearing in mind some of the issues that might be insensitive to their religion and culture.
As the Indian chapter alludes to, many stereotypes follow the ‘South Asian’ label. The stereotypes most associated with this group (and Bangladeshis) are the ‘Terrorist’ and ‘The Oppressed Woman’. An Equality and Human Rights Commission report states that people of Pakistani origin are 52 times more likely to be stopped and interrogated at UK airports than any other minority ethnicity.
In 2017, British-Pakistani and Muslim actor Riz Ahmed made a speech to the House of Commons calling for greater representation and diversity in the media. Inspired by Riz Ahmed’s speech, tech expert, Shaf Choudry, and former English teacher, Dr Sadia Habib cofounded the ‘Riz Test’.
The ‘Riz Test’ is defined as:
If the Film/TV Show stars at least one character who is identifiably Muslim (by ethnicity, language or clothing) - is the character:
Talking about, the victim of, or the perpetrator of terrorism?
Presented as irrationally angry?
Presented as superstitious, culturally backwards or anti-modern?
Presented as a threat to a Western way of life? If the character is male, is he presented as misogynistic? Or if female, is she presented
as oppressed by her male counterparts?
If the answer for any of the above is ‘Yes’, then the Film/TV Show fails the test.
Binah Shah from the New York Times comments:
“Whenever a Western movie contains a connection to Pakistan, we watch it in a sadomasochistic way, eager and nervous to see how the West observes us. We look to see if we come across to you as monsters, and then to see what our new, monstrous face looks like. Again and again, we see a refracted, distorted image of our homeland staring back at us. We know we have monsters among us, but this isn’t what we look like to ourselves.”
The public’s views on Muslims are mixed, and understanding of Islam is limited. The representation of Muslims in the media since the 9/11 attacks has heavily impacted the lives of Muslims in the UK and globally.
“The words ‘Islam’ and ‘British’ Muslim often feature alongside words such as ‘Terrorism’ and ‘Terror Attacks’ in scrolling news tickers and feeds. We would argue that there has been a steady build-up of anti- Muslim rhetoric over the past two decades since 9/11, which has impacted under-35s the most.”
“As children in the 80s when my brother and I were stopped near home by a skinhead and a knife was put to his throat, we were black. A decade later the knife to my throat was held by another ‘P*ki’, a label we wore with swagger in the Brit-Asian subculture and gang culture of the 90s. The next time I found myself hopelessly cornered, it was in a windowless room at Luton airport. My arm was in a painful wrist-lock and my collar pinned to the wall by British Intelligence Officers. It was ‘post 9/11’ and I was now labelled a Muslim.” - Actor, Riz Ahmed, excerpt from The Good Immigrant.
The iconic Hijab, a symbol of pride, empowerment and assertion of identity for Muslim women, has come to mean oppression and segregation through these stereotypical representations in the media. That narrative can be dangerous in a world where misconceptions of Muslim women’s (lack of) autonomy are frustratingly pervasive. For decades, we’ve been inundated with portrayals of women who were forced to cover up and sit quietly on the sidelines. The hijab is often linked to oppression.”
Women are speaking out on social media to express solidarity and frustration with Muslim perception.
As a social media influencer, I feel attitudes towards hijab-wearing women can be polarising. You’re either portrayed as an extremist, ISIS sympathiser or an extremely oppressed woman – I’m none of those things. In reality, the only thing extreme about me is how late I leave it to return books to the library. - Asha Hussein, 25. Social Media Influencer and Vlogger [2021]
In terms of defying Islamophobic stereotypes, BBC’s Man Like Mobeen written by Guz Khan has been praised for addressing socio-political issues in humorous fashion and Khan’s own desire to move away from old stereotypes.
“An alternative is to engage with racist or Islamophobic stereotypes by having them voiced or embodied by ethnic or religious minority characters, effectively legitimising the laughter.”
In addition, another positive portrayal example from the BBC is the series Informer. Pakistani- born British actor, Nabhaan Rizwan, stars as the main protagonist, Raza, who is recruited as a counter-terrorism spy by Detective Superintendent Gabe Waters. Nabhaan Rizwan comments on the show’s role at combatting stereotypes:
“Raza lives a regular life and has a menial job. It’s quite accurate. It’s not the stereotypical Muslim family you normally see on telly: his dad drinks and his mum doesn’t wear a headscarf, plus she’s the breadwinner of the family. Growing up in Ilford, lots of my friends who were Muslim had families where the mum was the breadwinner.”
Tan France, host of Queer Eye, Netflix’s smash hit reality makeover series, is a significant figure to the queer South Asian presence on television. As a Pakistani Muslim, he felt pressure representing an under-represented community but his presence on screen has been an inspiration to many.
“I didn’t see myself reflected anywhere in popular culture, and a lot of us get our feelings of normalcy or approval or validation from what we see around us. Everywhere you look, you see a lot of Caucasians, and you think, it’s great to be white. You see black people and you think, okay, the tides are turning. You see lesbians and you think, good, we’re shedding light on this. But I do distinctly remember thinking, holy shit! I don’t see anybody from South Asia on TV who’s gay, and that really started to freak me out.”
We are starting to see some positive change in the industry in terms of portrayal of Muslims. NCIS: Los Angeles, now in its 10th series features Muslim protagonist, Sam Hanna, making him one of the first Muslim lead characters on a major US television series. They also introduced a hijab- wearing character, Special Agent Fatima Namazi - yet took great care not to make her religion the focal point of the role.
In 2020, Marvel made positive noise with the announcement of its first on-screen Muslim superhero Kamala Khan, who will grace our screens in late 2021.
The Pakistani American teenage hero will be played by newcomer Iman Vellani, an 18-year-old actor from Canada.
“Kamala Khan is not a CIA informant trying to root out terrorists, nor is she a caricature Muslim woman lost in a western world. She is exactly what many Americans teenagers are today. Much like Spider-Man, Kamala’s primary day-to-day struggle is just life as a teenager from a middle-class family in urban America. Her experience is elevated and changed by her faith and cultural background. Her faith in Islam is never seen as a burden, nor does she have the weight of somehow being responsible for lunatics that twist the religion. She is simply Muslim, and that’s exactly what she needs to be.”
BBC’s newsreader and radio presenter Mishal Hussain also gives young British Pakistanis a more hopeful viewof Pakistani representation on TV. Hussain is the main Sunday presenter of the BBC News at Ten and BBC Weekend News and one of the main presenters of BBC Radio 4’s Today. Her BBC career began in 1998 as a producer and she became one of the main presenters on BBC World News, spending time based in Singapore and Washington as well as presenting live on location from around the world.
Hussain has her own podcast and has also written a book, The Skills, which inspires ‘encourages women of all ages to make their ambitions a reality, guiding them to success in whatever field they choose’.
“The book itself isn’t as snappy or practical as the podcasts, but I was impressed with it in other ways. It is not just a career self-help book. It is a powerful guidebook on skills that, yes, will enhance your work life, but which will also enhance all other aspects of your life too. From resilience to speaking up for yourself, this is a handbook for life.”
Research for the government’s social mobility watchdog (2017), found that Muslim men and women are being held back in the workplace, influenced by widespread Islamophobia, racism and discrimination. — lslamophobia Holding Back UK Muslims In Workplace [2017]
Life in the UK today
Pakistanis make up the second largest ethnic minority in England and Wales at 1.1m, 2% of the population. The most concentrated regions of Pakistani communities are in the West Midlands (20.2%), Yorkshire and Humber (20.1%), London (19.9%) and the North West (16.8%). There is also a sizeable Pakistani community in Scotland, with 15,000 people recorded as living there in 2018, primarily in Glasgow.
Among specific ethnicity groups, Pakistanis (30.7%) and Bangladeshis (26.3%) are most likely to live in the most income deprived 10% of neighbourhoods in England; that’s three times as likely as white British people.
Despite what seems like a bleak picture, we need to remember that there are positive success stories and we should shine more of a light on them. Sajid Javid (Britain’s first Muslim-heritage home secretary), Sadiq Khan (London’s first Muslim mayor), and Sayeeda Warsi (the first Muslim to sit in the British cabinet) are all children of post-war Pakistani immigrants.
There are also many self-made entrepreneurs such as Sir Anwar Pervez (founder and chairman of Bestway Group) and the new Asda owners Mohsin and Zuber Issa otherwise known as the ‘Blackburn billionaire brothers’. Saira Khan, another British born Pakistani entrepreneur, appeared on The Apprentice in 2005 and has since gone onto enjoy a successful career in TV and business. Her book, Push for Success, released in 2006, shares the secrets of her success and how she has had to work hard to throw off the stereotypical image young Muslim women have and to prove herself in twenty-first century Britain.
Malala Yousafzai is another significant and influential female figure. Malala, a Birmingham schoolgirl, was shot in the head by Taliban gunmen - her “crime” was speaking up for girls to be educated. Her story is an inspiration and she has gone onto become a Pakistani activist for female education and the youngest Nobel Prize winner.
Zayn Malik of One Direction is one of the most famous British Pakistanis in recent years. Malik has also spoken out about his racial profiling at airports too.
Amir Khan is one the country’s most prolific and successful boxers, winning a silver medal in the Athens Olympics in 2004, not only positively representing Pakistanis in sport but also inspiring a generation of young Asians to venture into boxing too.
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