THE world has changed drastically and dramatically since that fateful day of Sept 11, 2001. It is not possible to imagine the pre-Sept scenario. Nobody knows for how long that event will continue to haunt and transform the world. But the good thing is the whole world is coming around and it is more of a global home now rather than a global village. Afghanistan is now everywhere; it is hard to ignore it.
It was evident in Tiverton School, Totienham, where a map of Afghanistan hung on the wall as Afghan, Pakistani and Turkish kids played all round. For their parents, the world may be different, but not for them. They are part and parcel of it. Their congenial teacher, Yasmeen Khan, sees no problem in tackling students and their parents in the aftermath of the war in Afghanistan. “My students were shy initially when they joined my school. Now, they have changed. They ask all sorts of questions. That’s good for both us and them,” she says.
The refugee children in this school study and play with other students. Is there politics involved sometimes? “Yes, but it is the parents who bring it in,” answers a thoughtful-looking Asma. “Thank God the kids do not care for politics.” Incidentally, in this school, kids of refugees and asylum seekers are taught in 27 different languages. In London, they are as accustomed to life as in Kabul, Peshawar or Kashmir. Afghan, Pakistani, Kurdish, Somalian — one can see every colour, language and faith. Their togetherness will help in surmounting many problems of everyday life.
Rosemary Valerie is the principal and she loves to teach; it is her passion. At Tiverton School, she pays attention to each kid and none can escape her care.
Do they have any problems? Sometime back, Tiverton School faced a drug menace from nearby since there was no boundary wall and narcotics were freely available. This problem has since been solved by erecting walls.
Safety is dominant when people visit Bradford. Pakistanis, Indians and Bangladeshis are found freely on the streets. Once it was a booming town, but now the flight of capital is evident all over. There were some disturbances in Bradford in the wake of the New York attacks. Tension is visible as youths from both the white and Asian communities are angry. The economic deprivation is also partly responsible. Services are replacing industries, and have created a vacuum of jobs.
The towering Mussadak Hussain blames the media for all the trouble: “They blow things out of proportion,” he complains. Sometimes, he feels discriminated but refuses to blame the average white man.
But why, in spite of scores of problems, people from Pakistan and India and Bangladesh still continue to pour in? The answer is simple — it is still a prosperous part of the world. A top TV manager mops floors in an ethnic restaurant. He cries day and night and curses the moment he decided to migrate with his British-born wife. The guy is facing the dilemma of his life — he can’t go back and he can’t live here. He goes to the mosque regularly to seek solace.
Muhammad Salim Khan is the head of the council of mosques that works in close coordination with the community. Khan organizes ‘inter-faith weekends’ where Muslims and Christians sit together and talk. Can they pray together?
Yes, maybe after 15 months. But despite this optimism, he accepts the fact that a large section of British society is still not wholly prepared to consider his views with visible sympathy.
“As soon as anything happens anywhere, they blame us. How can I hide my skin, my colour. If any Muslim is involved in any terrorist activity, why blame all the Muslims? It’s not fair.”
Youths at the Bangladesh Forum were visibly angry and disgusted. “A time bomb is ticking fast to explode,” warned a bearded leader. Young boys have no jobs and there is racism. Housing is another major issue. They are not resourceful enough to solve these problems by themselves.
Is the British society doing what it can to help these real and economic and political refugees and legal and illegal immigrants in a free, fair and transparent manner? Perhaps it is. But the problems are simply huge and enormous. Indeed, despite efforts, the representation of Asians is not according to their population in mostly predominantly Asian communities. The scars of the Afghan war are still evident by and large. A small microscopic but lethally-effective minority is still active among both the white British and ethnic Asians. It has to be tackled politically and socially.
