Asian-Scots
Encyclopedia
Asian-Scots or Scottish Asians is a term used for people of South Asian
ancestry who were born in Scotland
, or for South Asia
n immigrants.
In British usage, the term does not include East Asians, who are known by their respective national origins (e.g. Chinese
, Japanese
, Malaysians
and others) or under the umbrella term
"Oriental". It also does not include western Asians, such as Turks.
, Edinburgh
and Dundee
. However, there are Asian communities in places as small as Stornoway
and as far north as Aberdeen
.
British Asian
British Asian is a term used to describe British citizens who descended from mainly South Asia, also known as South Asians in the United Kingdom...
ancestry who were born in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, or for South Asia
South Asia
South Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east...
n immigrants.
In British usage, the term does not include East Asians, who are known by their respective national origins (e.g. Chinese
Han Chinese
Han Chinese are an ethnic group native to China and are the largest single ethnic group in the world.Han Chinese constitute about 92% of the population of the People's Republic of China , 98% of the population of the Republic of China , 78% of the population of Singapore, and about 20% of the...
, Japanese
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
, Malaysians
Malay people
Malays are an ethnic group of Austronesian people predominantly inhabiting the Malay Peninsula, including the southernmost parts of Thailand, the east coast of Sumatra, the coast of Borneo, and the smaller islands which lie between these locations...
and others) or under the umbrella term
Umbrella term
An umbrella term is a word that provides a superset or grouping of concepts that all fall under a single common category. Umbrella term is also called a hypernym. For example, cryptology is an umbrella term that encompasses cryptography and cryptanalysis, among other fields...
"Oriental". It also does not include western Asians, such as Turks.
Communities
Scotland's South Asian population of more than 70,000 is mostly of Pakistani origin and are concentrated around the urban areas, such as Greater GlasgowGreater Glasgow
Greater Glasgow is an urban settlement in Scotland consisting of all localities which are physically attached to the city of Glasgow, forming with it a single contiguous urban area...
, Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
and Dundee
Dundee
Dundee is the fourth-largest city in Scotland and the 39th most populous settlement in the United Kingdom. It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firth of Tay, which feeds into the North Sea...
. However, there are Asian communities in places as small as Stornoway
Stornoway
Stornoway is a burgh on the Isle of Lewis, in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland.The town's population is around 9,000, making it the largest settlement in the Western Isles and the third largest town in the Scottish Highlands after Inverness and Fort William...
and as far north as Aberdeen
Aberdeen
Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....
.
- DundeeDundeeDundee is the fourth-largest city in Scotland and the 39th most populous settlement in the United Kingdom. It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firth of Tay, which feeds into the North Sea...
- 4,000 Asians (especially the HilltownHilltown, DundeeHilltown in Dundee is a mainly residential area to the north of the City Centre and lying to the south of the main circular road, The Kingsway.-Demographics:In the 2001 census the population was 9,337...
and StobswellStobswellStobswell is an area of Dundee, Scotland with a population of approximately 10,000. It was originally a small hamlet outside the city until the industrial revolution caused the growth of Dundee. The area is by and large a residential area. Schools in the area are Morgan Academy Secondary School,...
) - EdinburghEdinburghEdinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
- 10,000 Asians - GlasgowGlasgowGlasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
(and surrounding Greater Glasgow area) - 35,000 Asians (especially PollokshieldsPollokshieldsPollokshields is a district in the Southside of Glasgow, Scotland. It is a conservation area which was developed in Victorian times according to a plan promoted by the original landowners, the Stirling-Maxwells of Pollok, whose association with the area goes as far back as...
, PollokshawsPollokshawsPollokshaws is a district on the southside of the city of Glasgow, Scotland. The housing stock mostly consists of some sandstone tenement housing, tower blocks and modern brick tenement-style buildings...
, GovanhillGovanhillGovanhill is a district in the Scottish city of Glasgow. It is situated south of the River Clyde between the Gorbals, Mount Florida and Queen's Park...
and WoodlandsWoodlands, GlasgowWoodlands is a residential area in the west-end of Glasgow, Scotland. It is to the east of Hillhead, the south of Maryhill and Woodside, and north of the city's Park District...
)
Notable Scottish Asians
- Aneela Rahman
- Ali AbbasiAli AbbasiAli Abbasi was a Pakistani-born Scottish television presenter, born in Karachi. He moved from Pakistan to Glasgow, in 1963, with his parents as a child and joined BBC Scotland as a travel presenter in the 1980s...
- Farah Noor AdamsFarah Noor AdamsFarah Noor Adams was a Scottish woman who was murdered in Glasgow in 2005. She was a part-time youth worker, aged 34, a Muslim, separated from her husband, bringing up a daughter aged eight. She was murdered while exercising on a footpath beside the River Kelvin in Maryhill...
- Bashir AhmadBashir Ahmad (politician)Bashir Ahmad was a Scottish National Party politician. He was elected to the Scottish Parliament to represent the Glasgow region at the 2007 election, and was the first MSP to be elected from an Asian-Scots or Muslim background. Ahmed was a prominent and well respected figure in Parliament and in...
- SNPScottish National PartyThe Scottish National Party is a social-democratic political party in Scotland which campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom....
politician who in 2007 became the first MSPMember of the Scottish ParliamentMember of the Scottish Parliament is the title given to any one of the 129 individuals elected to serve in the Scottish Parliament.-Methods of Election:MSPs are elected in one of two ways:...
to be elected from an Asian-Scots background. - Aamer AnwarAamer AnwarAamer Anwar is a Scottish lawyer of Pakistani background. He is noted for his left-wing political views and his support for Stop the War Coalition and the campaigns against the 31st G8 summit and Dungavel Detention Centre for failed Asylum seekers....
, human rights lawyer - Bashabi Fraser, writer
- Majid HaqMajid HaqRana Majid Haq Khan , better known as Majid Haq, is a Scottish cricket player of Pakistani descent. He is a left-handed batsman and an off spin bowler. He has represented Scotland at Under 17, Under 19 and Under 23 levels, making his debut for the senior side on 20 July 2002 in a European...
, Cricket ScotlandCricket ScotlandCricket Scotland, formerly known as the Scottish Cricket Union, is the governing body of the sport of cricket in Scotland. The body is based at the National Cricket Academy, Edinburgh.... - Omer HussainOmer HussainRana Omer Hussain , better known as Omer Hussain, is a Scottish cricket player. He made his debut for the Scottish cricket team on 18 September 2005 in a C&G Trophy match against Warwickshire. He has played seven times in all for Scotland, including two One Day Internationals...
, Cricket ScotlandCricket ScotlandCricket Scotland, formerly known as the Scottish Cricket Union, is the governing body of the sport of cricket in Scotland. The body is based at the National Cricket Academy, Edinburgh.... - Nasim Marie Jafry, writer
- Anwar KhanAnwar KhanAnwar Khan is a former Pakistani cricketer who played in one Test in 1979. He was primarily a bowling all-rounder. He currently resides in Chicago, Illinois with his wife and his four kids....
, journalist - Hardeep Singh KohliHardeep Singh KohliHardeep Singh Kohli is a British writer and radio and television presenter.-Background:Kohli was born in London and moved to Glasgow in Scotland when he was four. His parents came to the UK from India in the 1960s. The family's roots lie in the Punjab. His mother was a social worker, and his...
- Sanjeev KohliSanjeev KohliSanjeev Singh Kohli is a Scottish Asian comedian, writer and actor. He is most famous for his role as Navid Harrid in the sitcom Still Game and as Rajesh Majhu in the radio sitcom Fags, Mags and Bags.- Early life :...
- Bashir Maan
- Vishal MarwahaVishal MarwahaVishal Marwaha is a Scottish field hockey player. He has more than 200 Caps for Scotland and Great Britain.He lives in Glasgow.-References:...
- Aasmah MirAasmah Mir-Early life:Mir was born to first-generation Pakistani immigrants and brought up in the middle class suburb of Bearsden, near Glasgow. She graduated from the University of Bristol with an honours law degree in 1993...
- Shereen NanjianiShereen NanjianiShereen Nanjiani is a radio presenter with BBC Radio Scotland.Before launching her radio career in 2006, Nanjiani was the chief news anchor at STV Central, having presented the news programme, Scotland Today since 1987...
- Robina QureshiRobina QureshiRobina Qureshi is a Scottish human rights campaigner. She is a notable critic of the UK's asylum policies and has campaigned to close detention centres for asylum seekers.- Background :...
- Misbah RanaMisbah RanaMisbah Iram Ahmed Rana , also known as Molly Campbell, is a Scottish girl of mixed Scottish-Pakistani heritage when she was at the centre of an alleged child abduction case in August 2006.-Early life:...
- Suhayl SaadiSuhayl SaadiSuhayl Saadi is a physician, author and dramatist based in Glasgow, Scotland. His varied literary output includes novels, short stories, anthologies of fiction, song lyrics, plays for stage and radio theatre, and wisdom pieces for The Dawn Patrol, the Sarah Kennedy show on BBC Radio...
, writer - Mohammed Sarwar
- Humza YousafHumza YousafHumza Yousaf is a Scottish National Party member of the Scottish Parliament for the Glasgow region, elected in 2011 via the Mixed Member Proportional Representation from the Party List....
SNP MSP for the Glasgow region. The first Scots-Asian born in Scotland to become an MSP. - Hanzala MalikHanzala MalikHanzala Malik is a Scottish Labour Party member of the Scottish Parliament for Glasgow, elected in 2011.He is also a Glasgow City Councillor, for the Hillhead ward.- External links :**...
Labour MSP for the Glasgow region. The first Scots-Asian MSP from the Labour party.
Popular culture
- Ae Fond Kiss...Ae Fond Kiss...Ae Fond Kiss... is a 2004 romantic drama film directed by Ken Loach, and starring Atta Yaqub and Eva Birthistle. The title is taken from a Scottish song by Robert Burns, the complete line being "Ae fond kiss, and then we sever..."-Plot:Casim Khan is a Glaswegian DJ of Pakistani origin...
(film on New ScotsNew ScotsNew Scots was a term used by the Scottish government to describe people of any background who have immigrated to Scotland. It was sometimes used to describe people born in Scotland to immigrant parents. An example of its use would be in a 2006 National Library of Scotland exhibition or in the...
) - Bombay Talkie (band)Bombay Talkie (band)Bombay Talkie was a Bhangra band of the 1990s, from Glasgow, Scotland. The group were best known for their hit, "Charigue", which is still included on many Bhangra compilation albums....
- Nina's Heavenly DelightsNina's Heavenly DelightsNina's Heavenly Delights is a U.K. comedy film, directed by Pratibha Parmar, released 29 September 2006 in the United Kingdom. The film was released in the United States on 21 November 2007.-Synopsis:...
- A Meeting of Two Minds, Bashabi Fraser (book)
- Bengal Partition Stories, Bashabi Fraser (book)
- Life, Bashabi Fraser (book)
- Tartan and Turban, Bashabi Fraser (book)
- The Ganga and the Tay, Bashabi Fraser (book)
- Indian Takeaway: A Very British Story, Hardeep Singh Kohli, Canongate, 2009 (book)
- The State of Me, Nasim Marie Jafry, The Friday Project, 2008 (book)
- The New Scots: The Story of Asians in Scotland, Bashir Maan, John Donald Publishers, 1992 (book)
- The Thistle and the Crescent, Bashir Maan, Argyll Publishing, 2008
- The Burning Mirror, Suhayl Saadi, Polygon, 2001 (book)
- Psychoraag, Suhayl Saadi, Black and White Publishing, 2004 (book)
- Joseph's Box, Suhayl Saadi, Two Ravens Press, 2009 (book)
- The Dark Island, 2004, Suhayl Saadi (BBC 4 radio play)
- The Garden of the Fourteenth Moon, 2006, Suhayl Saadi (stage play)
See also
- Demographics of ScotlandDemographics of ScotlandScotland has a population of 5,222,100 . Covering an area of , Scotland has a population density of . Around 70% of the country's population live in the Central Lowlands — a broad, fertile valley stretching in a northeast-southwest orientation between the cities of Edinburgh and Glasgow, and...
- Hinduism in ScotlandHinduism in ScotlandHinduism in Scotland is of relatively recent provenance, with the bulk of Scottish Hindus having settled there in the second half of the 20th century. Some Scottish Hindus prefer not to be called 'Asians' as this term is often used to refer to Scotland's Pakistani community...
- Islam in ScotlandIslam in ScotlandThe larger immigration of Muslims to Scotland is relatively recent. The bulk of Muslims in Scotland come from families who immigrated during the late 20th century. In Scotland Muslims represent 0.9% of the population , with 30,000 in Glasgow...
- Sikhism in ScotlandSikhism in ScotlandThe arrival of Sikhism in Scotland is relatively recent. According to the Scottish Sikh Association, the first Sikhs settled in Glasgow in the early 1920s with the first Gurdwara established in South Portland Street. However, the bulk of Sikhs in Scotland come from families who immigrated during...
- Scottish peopleScottish peopleThe Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
- British AsianBritish AsianBritish Asian is a term used to describe British citizens who descended from mainly South Asia, also known as South Asians in the United Kingdom...
- New ScotsNew ScotsNew Scots was a term used by the Scottish government to describe people of any background who have immigrated to Scotland. It was sometimes used to describe people born in Scotland to immigrant parents. An example of its use would be in a 2006 National Library of Scotland exhibition or in the...