British Bangladeshi
Encyclopedia
A British Bangladeshi is a person of Bangladeshi origin
who resides in the United Kingdom
having emigrated to the UK and attained citizenship through naturalisation or whose parents did so; they are also known as British Bengalis
. Large numbers of Bangladesh
is emigrated to the UK, primarily from Sylhet
, located in the north-east of the country, mainly during the 1970s. The largest concentration is in London, primarily in the east London boroughs, of which Tower Hamlets has the highest proportion, making up approximately 37% of the borough's total population. This large diaspora
in London leads people in Bangladesh to refer to British Bangladeshis as "Londonis". Bangladeshis also have significant communities in Birmingham
, Oldham
, Luton
and Bradford
, with smaller clusters in Manchester
, Newcastle upon Tyne
, Rochdale
, Cardiff
, and Sunderland.
Bangladeshis form one of the UK's largest immigrant groups and are also one of its youngest and fastest growing communities. The population of Bangladeshis in Britain has grown steadily over the years. At the time of the 2001 UK Census, 154,362 Bangladeshi-born people were resident in the UK, and there were a total of 283,063 residents of Bangladeshi ethnicity. By 2007, the ethnic Bangladeshi population in England only was estimated to be 353,900. Estimates suggest there are about 500,000 Bangladeshis residing in the UK. Bangladeshis form a largely homogeneous community. Rates of unemployment are typically high, there is overcrowding, and some health problems. The latest generation of Bangladeshis, however, form a thriving community who are beginning to establish themselves in the mainstream of commerce and politics. Despite being the most recently settled of the major South Asia
n communities in Britain, the Bangladeshis are well established throughout the communities.
during 1873, part of the East India Company
, who arrived to the UK as lascars in ships to work in restaurants. Author Caroline Adams records that in 1925 a lost Bengali man was searching for other Bengali settlers in London. These first few arrivals started the process of "chain migration" mainly from one region of Bangladesh—Sylhet, which led to substantial numbers of people migrating from rural areas of the region, creating links between relatives in Britain and the region. They mainly immigrated to the United Kingdom to find work, achieve a better living standard, and to escape conflict. During the pre-state years, the 1950s and 1960s, Bengali men emigrated to London
in search of employment
. Most settled in Tower Hamlets, particularly around Spitalfields
and Brick Lane
. During 1971 Bangladesh, (known until then as "East Pakistan
"), fought for its independence from Pakistan
in what was known as the Bangladesh Liberation War
. In the region of Sylhet, this led some people to join the Mukti Bahini
, or Liberation Army. However, the war also caused large numbers of Sylhetis to flee, mainly to Britain.
In the 1970s
, changes in immigration laws
encouraged a new wave of Bangladeshis to come to the UK and settle. Job opportunities were initially limited to low paid sectors, with unskilled-semi skilled work in small factories and the textile trade being common. When the "Indian' restaurant" concept became popular, some Sylhetis started to open cafes. From these small beginnings a network of Bangladeshi restaurants, shops and other small business' became established in Brick Lane and surrounding areas. The influence of Bangladeshi culture and diversity began to develop across the East London boroughs.
The early immigrants lived and worked mainly in cramped basements and attics within the Tower Hamlets area. The men were often illiterate, poorly educated, and spoke little English
, so could not interact well with the English-speaking population and could not enter higher education. Some became targets for English businessmen, who sold their properties to other Sylhetis, even though they had no legal claim to the buildings.,
By the late 1970s, the Brick Lane area had become predominantly Bengali, replacing the former Jewish community which had declined. Following the increase in the number of Bengalis in the area, the Jews migrated to outlying suburbs of London, as they integrated
with the majority British population. Jewish bakeries were turned into curry houses, jewellery shops became sari
stores, and synagogues became dress factories. The synagogue at the corner of Fournier Street and Brick Lane became the Jamme Masjid
or 'Great London Mosque', which continues to serve the Bangladeshi community to this day. This building represents the history of successive communities of immigrants in this part of London. It was built in 1743 as a French Protestant church; in 1819 it became a Methodist chapel, and in 1898 was designated as the Spitalfields
Great Synagogue. It was finally sold, to become the Jamme Masjid.
The period also however saw a rise in the number of attacks on Bangladeshis in the area, in a reprise of the racial tensions of the 1930s, when Oswald Mosley
's Blackshirts
had marched against the Jewish communities. In nearby Bethnal Green
the anti-immigrant National Front
became active, distributing leaflets on the streets and holding meetings. White youths known as "skinheads" appeared in the Brick Lane area, vandalising property and reportedly spitting at Bengali children and assaulting women. Bengali children were allowed out of school early; women walked to work in groups to shield them from potential violence. Parents began to impose curfews on their children, for their own safety; flats were protected against racially motivated arson by the installation of fire-proof letterboxes.
On 4 May 1978, Altab Ali, a 25-year-old Bangladeshi clothing worker, was murdered by three teenage boys as he walked home from work, in an apparently racially motivated attack. The murder took place near the corner of Adler Street and Whitechapel Road
, by St Mary's Churchyard. This murder mobilised the Bangladeshi community. Demonstrations were held in the area of Brick Lane against the National Front, and groups such as the Bangladesh Youth Movement were formed. On 14 May over 7,000 people, mostly Bangladeshis, took part in a demonstration against racial violence, marching behind Altab Ali’s coffin to Hyde Park
. Some youths formed local gangs and carried out reprisal attacks on their skinhead opponents (see Youth gangs).
The name Altab Ali became associated with a movement of resistance against racist attacks, and remains linked with this struggle for human rights
. His murder was the trigger for the first significant political organisation against racism by local Bangladeshis. Today’s identification and association of British Bangladeshis with Tower Hamlets owes much to this campaign. A park has been named after Altab Ali
, at the street where he was murdered. In 1993 racial violence was incited by the anti-immigration British National Party
(BNP); several Bangladeshi students were severely injured, but the BNP's attempted inroads were stopped after demonstrations of Bangladeshi resolve.
In 1988, a "friendship link" between the city of St Albans
in Hertfordshire
and the region of Sylhet was created by the district council. This link between the two cities was established when the council supported housing project in the city as part of the International Year of Shelter for the Homeless initiative. It was also created because, Sylhet is the area of origin for the largest ethnic minority group in St Albans. In April 2001, the London Borough of Tower Hamlets
council officially renamed the 'Spitalfields
' electoral ward Spitalfields and Banglatown. Surrounding streets were redecorated, with lamp posts painted in green and red, the colours of the Bangladeshi flag
. By this stage the majority living in the ward were of Bangladeshi origin—nearly 60% of the population.
283,063 Bangladeshis lived in the United Kingdom, forming 0.5% of the total population. Based on latest statistics by the Office for National Statistics
, there were 338,300 Bangladeshis living in England and Wales as of 2006, it is however estimated that there are around 500,000 Bangladeshis in the UK. London's Bangladeshi population was 153,893, representing 54.37% of the UK Bangladeshi population (2001). The highest concentrations were found in Tower Hamlets, where Bangladeshis constituted 33.5% of the borough population (22.8% of the UK Bangladeshi population), and in Newham
, accounting for 9% of the borough population. The largest Bangladeshi population outside London is in Birmingham
(23,200), there are 11,000 Bangladeshis in Oldham, Lancashire
, 60% of Bangladeshis in Oldham lived in Westwood
, the highest concentration outside London, and in Luton, Bedfordshire
with a population of 7,641. More than half of the United Kingdom's Bangladeshis—approximately 53%—were born in Bangladesh. Bangladesh ranks third in the list of countries of birth for Londoners born outside the United Kingdom. Bangladeshis are one of the youngest of the UK's ethnic populations; 38% under the age of 16, 59% aged between 16–64, and only 3% aged 65 and over. The census also revealed a heavy predominance in the male population, which was 64% of the total.
, hotel and restaurant industries. In 2001 and 2002, Bangladeshis had the highest unemployment
rate in Britain, at 20% for men and 24% for women; over 40% of Bangladeshi men under 25 were unemployed. In Tower Hamlets 32% of people aged between 18–25 years were unemployed. The average earnings of the Bangladeshis were £150 per week
New generation Bangladeshis, however, aspire to professional careers, becoming doctors, IT management specialists, teachers and in business. In education, Bangladeshi pupils have registered below the average national academic achievement levels, but these results have steadily improved, particularly among Bangladeshi girls; this applies both to Key stage
levels and GCSE. Ofsted
reports from secondary schools
have shown that many Bangladeshi pupils are making significant progress, compared with other ethnic minority groups. Girls are more likely to do better in education than boys; 55% of girls are achieving 5 or more A*-C at GCSE, compared to 41% boys. The overall achievement rate for Bangladeshi pupils is 48%, compared with 53% for all UK pupils.
(81%).
(95%). Many families originate from different upazilas or thanas across Sylhet, which includes the districts of Sylhet
, Sunamganj
, Habiganj
and Maulvibazar. The largest places of origin are in the upazilas of, Jagannathpur
, Beanibazar
and Bishwanth
. Other places within the Sylhet region which also have large numbers of expatriates include, Moulvibazar
, Golapganj
, Nabiganj
and many others across the region. The minorities from outside Sylhet are mainly from Noakhali, Chittagong
and Khulna
, very few are from other divisions. The majority of Bangladeshis speak Sylheti
. The language is sometimes considered as a dialect
of Bengali, and does not have written form. Although many Sylheti speakers say they speak Bengali, this is because they do not expect outsiders to be well informed about dialects. Bengali/Sylheti is the second largest language spoken after English in London. 97% of Bangladeshi students speak English as a second language, after Sylheti. In recent years, there has been a slight increase in the numbers of Bangladeshi students arriving to the United Kingdom, majority of these are from Dhaka
and other regions. Many of these are on student Visas
, living in the East London areas among the Bangladeshi communities.
, parents therefore encourage young people to attend standard
Bengali classes to learn the language, although many find this learning progress difficult in the UK. English tends to be spoken among younger brothers and sisters and peer groups, and Bengali/Sylheti with parents. Communities share and favour a family-orientated community culture.
Significant Bengali events or celebrations are celebrated by the community annually. The Baishakhi Mela
is a celebration of the Bengali New Year, celebrated by the Bangladeshi community every year. Held each April–May since 1997 in London's Banglatown, it is the largest Asian open-air event in Europe, and largest the largest Bengali festival outside Bangladesh. In Bangladesh and West Bengal
it is known as the Pohela Boishakh. The event is broadcast live across different continents; it features a funfair, music and dance displays on stages, with people dressed in colourful traditional clothes, in Weavers Field and Allen Gardens in Bethnal Green. The Mela is also designed to enhance the area's community identity, bringing together the best of Bengali culture. Brick Lane
is the main destination where curry and Bengali spices are served throughout the day. As of 2009, the Mela was organised by the Tower Hamlets council, attracting 95,000 people, featuring with popular artists such as Momtaz Begum, Nukul Kumar Bishwash, Mumzy and many others.
The Language Movement Day
(Shaheed Dibosh), commemorates the martyrdom of the people killed in the demonstrations of 1952 for the Bengali language. In the London borough of Tower Hamlets, the Shaheed Minar
was elected in Altab Ali Park
in 1999. At the entrance to the park is an arch created by David Peterson, developed as a memorial to Altab Ali and other victims of racist attacks. The arch incorporates a complex Bengali-style pattern, meant to show the merging of different cultures in East London. A similar monument was built in Westwood
, in Oldham
, through a local council regeneration. This event is taken place at midnight on 20 February, where the Bengali community come together to lay wreath
s at the monument. Around 2,500 families, councilors and community members paid their respect at Altab Ali Park, as of February 2009.
Bangladeshi weddings are celebrated with a combination of Bengali and Muslim traditions, and play a large part in developing and maintaining social ties
. Many marriages of Bangladeshis are between the British (Londonis) and Bangladeshi-born; sometimes men will go to Bangladesh to get married, however over the years more women are marrying in Bangladesh. Marriages between relatives are common, and increase relationships within extended families. Second or third generation Bangladeshis are more likely to get married in the UK, within the British culture, exposure to which has created a division between preferences for arranged marriages or for love marriages. In accordance with traditional practice the bride’s family must buy the groom’s family a whole new set of furniture, which is housed in the family home, all original furniture being either thrown out or given away. The average Bangladeshi community will spend from £
30-60,000 for a single wedding within the community, which includes the decorations, the venue, food, clothing and limousines, all areas in which there is competition between families. Forced marriage
s are rare, however the practice is largely present in Bangladesh, the British High Commission has been involved with many cases concerning on British citizens. These include Nasrin Begum, a 19-year old teenager who travelled from the UK to Bangladesh with her mother in 2008, she contacted the British consular office in Sylhet to intervene, and was rescued by embassy officials in the village. Another media highlight includes a Bangladeshi-born National Health Service
doctor Humayra Abedin
, she was deceived by her parents after asking her to arrive at their home in Dhaka
, a court ordered her parents to hand her over to the British High Commission. The commission has been reported to have handled 56 cases from April 2007 to March 2008.
(dahl), and fish. Another popular food is shatkora, which is a citrus and tangy fruit from Sylhet, mainly used for flavourings in curries. Bangladeshi cooking has become popular in Britain because of the number of Bangladeshi-owned restaurants, which has increased significantly. In 1946 there were 20 restaurants, while today there are 7,200 owned by Bangladeshis, out of a total of 8,500 Indian restaurants in the UK. Surveys show that Bangladeshi curries
are among the most popular of dishes; the chicken tikka masala
is now regarded as one of Britain's favourite national food dishes
.
, and Bangla TV
. There has been bitter rivalry between the two channels over the years over community agreements. Popular national channels, ATN Bangla
, NTV
and Channel i
are also available. Bengali newspapers have been increasing within the community, such include Surma News Group. The East End Life (local newspaper of the borough) also includes a section for the Bengali readers. The first international film based on a story about British Bangladeshis was Brick Lane
(2007), based on the novel by author Monica Ali
, her book is about a woman who moves to London from rural Bangladesh, with her husband, wedded in an arranged marriage
. The film was critically acclaimed and the novel was an award-winning best seller. The film however caused some controversy within the community. Other films created in the community are mainly based on the struggles which British Bangladeshis face such as drugs and presenting a culture clash. These dramas include, Shopner Desh (2006) - a story related to the culture clashes.
The Bangladeshi population is dominated by one religion, Islam
. Out of all the ethnic groups in the UK it has the largest proportion of people following a single religion. Nearly all Bangladeshis are Sunni Muslims
; the 2001 census in England and Wales
showed those who indicated their religion, 92.5% were Muslim
, and 1.2% follow other religions (mostly Hindu
and Christian
). In London, Bangladeshi Muslims make up 24% of all London Muslims, more than any other single ethnic group in the capital. The largest affiliations are the Deobandi
movement (mainly of Tablighi Jamaat
), the Jamaat-e-Islami
movement, and the Sufi
Barelvi
(includes the Fultali movement). The Hizb ut-Tahrir
, and the Salafi
movement also have a small following.
Most Bangladeshis regard themselves as part of the ummah
, basing their identity on their religion rather than their ethnic group
. A majority of older women wear the burqa
, and many young women are opting to wear a hijab
, a traditional women's headscarf—whereas in Bangladesh, comparatively very few women do so; this has been described as a "British phenomenon
". Arabic
is also learned by children, many of whom attend Qur'an
classes at mosques or the madrasah
. Many male youths are also involved with Islamic groups, which include the Young Muslim Organisation, affiliated with the Islamic Forum Europe
. This group is based in Tower Hamlets, and has thus attracted mainly young Bangladeshi Muslims. It has been increasingly associated with the East London Mosque, which is one of the largest mosques used predominantly by Bangladeshis. In 2004, the mosque created a new extension attached, the London Muslim Centre which holds up to 10,000 people.
. People are dressed in their new traditional clothing such as sherwani
or salwar kameez. Children are given money by elders, and Eid prayer
s are attended by men in the morning in large numbers, they will then visit their relatives later in the day. Traditional food
will be cooked for relatives, such as samosa
or handesh. The celebration of Eid reunites relatives and improves relations. In the evening, young people will spend the remaining time socialising with friends. Some, however, will go "cruising
" – travelling across cities in expensive hired cars, playing loud music and sometimes waving the Bangladesh flag. Sociologists suggest these British Bangladeshi boys and girls have reinterpreted the older, more traditional practice of their faith and culture. The Eid al-Adha is celebrated after Ramadan
, to commemorate the prophet Ibrahim's compliance to sacrifice his son Isma’il. An animal has to be sacrificed, and then distributed between families and neighbours as zakat
, however sometimes in the UK this is not practiced and the meat is purchased, therefore there is much difficulty for expatriates to celebrate the event. Some instead of distributing meat, pay zakat to mosques or others however send large sums of money to families in Bangladesh, for the purchase of cows.
They became politically active, mainly at the local level, although some achieved national prominence. Rushanara Ali
is the first person of Bangladeshi origin to have been elected as a member of parliament during the 2010 general election for the Labour Party
from the constituency of Bethnal Green and Bow
, winning by a large majority of more than 10,000. Baroness Uddin
was the first Bangladeshi and Muslim woman to enter the House of Lords
; she swore the oath of office in her own faith. Anwar Choudhury
became the British High Commissioner for Bangladesh in 2004, the first non-white British person to be appointed in a senior diplomatic post. Lutfur Rahman
is the first directly elected mayor of Tower Hamlets
. Dr. Muhammad Abdul Bari
is the chairman of the Muslim Council of Britain
- the largest Muslim organisation in Britain. Murad Qureshi
, a Labour politician, is a member of the Greater London Assembly.
Others have contributed in the British media and business worlds. Konnie Huq
is the longest-serving female presenter in Blue Peter
, a BBC
television programme for children. Other notable national TV presenters have included Lisa Aziz
of Sky News
, Nina Hossain
(ITV
and BBC London
) and Tasmin Lucia Khan
(BBC News). In drama, Shefali Chowdhury
and Afshan Azad
both starred in the Harry Potter
movies as Parvati and Padma Patil. Mumzy is an R&B and hip-hop music artist, the first Bangladeshi to be releasing a music single. Syed Ahmed
is a businessman and also a television star, well known for being a candidate on The Apprentice
. There are many other entrepreneurs, including the late Abdul Latif
, known for his dish "Curry Hell"; Iqbal Ahmed
, placed at number 511 on the Sunday Times Rich List 2006, and celebrity chef Tommy Miah
. Rizwan Hussain
is also very well known for TV presenting Islamic and charity shows on Channel S and Islam Channel
, mainly known within the community.
Artists include Akram Khan
, dancer and choreographer, and Runa Islam
, a visual artist on film and photography. In Sport, the only Bangladeshi professional footballer in England is Anwar Uddin. Writers which have received praise and criticism for their books include Ed Husain
, who wrote the book The Islamist
on account of his experience for five years with the Hizb ut-Tahrir, Monica Ali
for her book Brick Lane a story based on a Bangladeshi woman, and Kia Abdullah
for her book, Life, Love and Assimilation.
Large numbers of people from the Bangladeshi community have also been involved with local government, increasingly in the London borough of Tower Hamlets, and Camden. The majority of the councillors in Tower Hamlets are of Bangladeshi descent and part of the Labour Party
. As of 2009, 32 of the total 51 councillors were Bangladeshi (63 per cent), 18 were White
(35 per cent) and 1 Somali (2 per cent). The first Bangladeshi mayor in the country was Ghulam Murtuza in Tower Hamlets, and Camden has appointed many Bangladeshis as mayors since the first, Nasim Ali.
In Bangladeshi politics there are two groups, favoring different principles, one Islamic and the other secular. Between these groups there has always been rivalry; however, the Islamic faction is steadily growing. This division between religious and secular was an issue during the Bangladesh Liberation War
; the political history of Bangladesh is now is being re-interpreted again, in the UK. The secular group show nationalism through monuments, or through the introduction of Bengali culture, and the Islamic group mainly through dawah
.
One symbol of Bengali nationalism is the Shaheed Minar, which commemorates the Bengali Language Movement, present in Altab Ali Park which as of today - the park is also the main venue for rallies and demonstrations, and also in Westwood, Oldham. The monuments are a smaller replica of the one in Dhaka
, Bangladesh, and symbolises a mother and the martyred sons. Nationalism is mainly witnessed during celebrations of the mela, when groups such as the Swadhinata Trust try to promote Bengali history and heritage amongst young people, in schools, youth clubs and community centers.
Islamic activists stress the commitment to a religious type of identity. These groups expanded their role in the local community by creating youth groups, providing lectures on Islam, and influencing people to be more involved with community mosques (e.g. East London Mosque). These groups also describe Bengali secular nationalism as a "waste of money", a way to abstract from being Islamic: they claim to believe that the Baishakhi Mela
celebrations are "shirk" activities. Tension has arisen between the groups, with Islamists and nationalists being criticized or attacked. These incidents illustrate the competition for social and political control between Islamists and secularists in the community context. This sphere
is highly dependent on collective memory and historical reinterpretations of the Liberation War.
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As a response to conditions
faced by their first generation elders during the 1970s (see history), younger Bangladeshis started to form gangs, developing a sense of dominating their territory. One consequence of this was that Bangladeshi gangs began fighting each other. Bangladeshi teenagers involved with gangs show their allegiance to this kind of lifestyle
in various ways: heavily styled hair, expensive mobile
phones and fashionable labels and brands. Teenage street gangs have been responsible for sometimes lethal violence; it is estimated that in Tower Hamlets alone there are 2,500 Bengali youths affiliated to one of the many local gangs, and that 26 out of the 27 gangs in the area are Bangladeshi. The notorious gangs have been given names that end with massive or posse, such as the Brick Lane Massive and Brady Street Massive. Other smaller groups include the Shadwell
Crew, Cannon Street
Posse, Bengal Tigers and Bethnal Green
Boys.
In the past, Bangladeshi gangs have fostered criminal elements, including low level drug use and credit card fraud
. However, for many the focus has changed to fighting over their territories. They use a variety of weapons, such as samurai
swords, machete
s, kitchen knives
and meat cleavers
, although guns are rarely used. When members reach their twenties they usually grow out of gang membership, but some move on to more serious criminal activity. Increasing numbers of Bangladeshi youths are taking hard drugs, in particular heroin. Islamic fundamentalism has also played a part in the youth culture, illustrated by the efforts of one Brick Lane gang to oust out the white prostitutes from the area. As to dietary customs, youths generally avoid eating pork, and some from drinking alcohol; however many take recreational drug use, in particular heroin.
The curry industry turns over up to £4 billion a year, and is viewed as recognition of Bangladeshi success, through awards such as 'The British Curry Awards
'. Brick Lane, known as Banglatown, is home to many of these restaurants, and is now regarded as London's 'curry
capital', with thousands of visitors every day. The restaurants serve different types of curry dishes, including fish, chutneys, and other halal
dishes. Although the curry industry has been the primary business of Bangladeshis (see Cuisine), many other Bangladeshis own grocery stores. Whitechapel
is a thriving local street market, offering many low-priced goods for the local Bengali
community. In Brick Lane there are many Bengali staples available, such as frozen fish and jack fruits. There are also many travel agents offering flights to Sylhet.
Many Bangladeshi businesses located in the East End wish to maintain a link with Sylhet, for example the weekly Sylheter Dak or the Sylhet Stores. There are also many money transfer
companies; in 2007 a firm called, First Solution Money Transfer went into liquidation
. Company chairman, Dr Fazal Mahmood, admitted the business owed hundreds of thousands of pounds to the public. and claimed that the firm had lost control of the money it handled due to a lack of regulation. Other large companies include Seamark and Ibco, owned by millionaire Iqbal Ahmed
, Taj Stores, and many others. In 2008, many restaurants came under threat. The government announced a change in the immigration
laws which could block entry to the UK of high skilled chefs from Bangladesh. The law demanded these workers speak fluent English, and have good formal qualifications. However, the changes however did not take place.
. Businesses have also been established by the British expatriates in the city of Sylhet, such as hotels, restaurants, often themed on those found in London, have also been established to cater to the visiting Sylheti expatriate population and the growing Sylheti middle classes (i.e. London Fried Chicken or Tessco). The financial
relationship between British Bengalis and relatives in Bangladesh has changed, only 20% of Bangladeshi families in east London were sending money to Bangladesh as of 1995, this figure was approximately 85% during 1960-70s. For a large number of families in Britain the cost of living, housing, or education for the children severely constrains any regular financial commitment towards Bangladesh. Moreover, the family reunion process has resulted in the social and economic reproduction of the household in Britain; conflicts over land or money can arise involving the mutual or reciprocal relationship between members of a joint household divided by migration
. This, in turn, can reduce even more the level of investment in Sylhet. The emergence of a second and a third generation of British Bangladeshis is another factor explaining the declining proportion of people’s income being sent as remittances to Bangladesh. About 30% of all remittance sent to Bangladesh are from Britain as of 1987.
Bangladeshi diaspora
The Bangladeshi diaspora consists of people of Bangladeshi descent who have immigrated to or were born in another country. First generation migrants may have moved abroad from Bangladesh for better living conditions, to escape poverty, or to send money back to families in Bangladesh.The world's...
who resides in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
having emigrated to the UK and attained citizenship through naturalisation or whose parents did so; they are also known as British Bengalis
Bengali people
The Bengali people are an ethnic community native to the historic region of Bengal in South Asia. They speak Bengali , which is an Indo-Aryan language of the eastern Indian subcontinent, evolved from the Magadhi Prakrit and Sanskrit languages. In their native language, they are referred to as বাঙালী...
. Large numbers of Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
is emigrated to the UK, primarily from Sylhet
Sylhet
Sylhet , is a major city in north-eastern Bangladesh. It is the main city of Sylhet Division and Sylhet District, and was granted metropolitan city status in March 2009. Sylhet is located on the banks of the Surma Valley and is surrounded by the Jaintia, Khasi and Tripura hills...
, located in the north-east of the country, mainly during the 1970s. The largest concentration is in London, primarily in the east London boroughs, of which Tower Hamlets has the highest proportion, making up approximately 37% of the borough's total population. This large diaspora
Diaspora
A diaspora is "the movement, migration, or scattering of people away from an established or ancestral homeland" or "people dispersed by whatever cause to more than one location", or "people settled far from their ancestral homelands".The word has come to refer to historical mass-dispersions of...
in London leads people in Bangladesh to refer to British Bangladeshis as "Londonis". Bangladeshis also have significant communities in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, Oldham
Oldham
Oldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amid the Pennines on elevated ground between the rivers Irk and Medlock, south-southeast of Rochdale, and northeast of the city of Manchester...
, Luton
Luton
Luton is a large town and unitary authority of Bedfordshire, England, 30 miles north of London. Luton and its near neighbours, Dunstable and Houghton Regis, form the Luton/Dunstable Urban Area with a population of about 250,000....
and Bradford
Bradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
, with smaller clusters in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
, Rochdale
Rochdale
Rochdale is a large market town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amongst the foothills of the Pennines on the River Roch, north-northwest of Oldham, and north-northeast of the city of Manchester. Rochdale is surrounded by several smaller settlements which together form the Metropolitan...
, Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
, and Sunderland.
Bangladeshis form one of the UK's largest immigrant groups and are also one of its youngest and fastest growing communities. The population of Bangladeshis in Britain has grown steadily over the years. At the time of the 2001 UK Census, 154,362 Bangladeshi-born people were resident in the UK, and there were a total of 283,063 residents of Bangladeshi ethnicity. By 2007, the ethnic Bangladeshi population in England only was estimated to be 353,900. Estimates suggest there are about 500,000 Bangladeshis residing in the UK. Bangladeshis form a largely homogeneous community. Rates of unemployment are typically high, there is overcrowding, and some health problems. The latest generation of Bangladeshis, however, form a thriving community who are beginning to establish themselves in the mainstream of commerce and politics. Despite being the most recently settled of the major 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 communities in Britain, the Bangladeshis are well established throughout the communities.
History
Bengalis had been present in Britain as early as the 19th century. The records of first arrivals from the region what is known today as Bangladesh (was British India), were Sylheti cooks in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
during 1873, part of the East India Company
East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
, who arrived to the UK as lascars in ships to work in restaurants. Author Caroline Adams records that in 1925 a lost Bengali man was searching for other Bengali settlers in London. These first few arrivals started the process of "chain migration" mainly from one region of Bangladesh—Sylhet, which led to substantial numbers of people migrating from rural areas of the region, creating links between relatives in Britain and the region. They mainly immigrated to the United Kingdom to find work, achieve a better living standard, and to escape conflict. During the pre-state years, the 1950s and 1960s, Bengali men emigrated to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in search of employment
Employment
Employment is a contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee. An employee may be defined as:- Employee :...
. Most settled in Tower Hamlets, particularly around Spitalfields
Spitalfields
Spitalfields is a former parish in the borough of Tower Hamlets, in the East End of London, near to Liverpool Street station and Brick Lane. The area straddles Commercial Street and is home to many markets, including the historic Old Spitalfields Market, founded in the 17th century, Sunday...
and Brick Lane
Brick Lane
Brick Lane is a street in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, in the East End of London. It runs from Swanfield Street in the northern part of Bethnal Green, crosses Bethnal Green Road, passes through Spitalfields and is linked to Whitechapel High Street to the south by the short stretch of...
. During 1971 Bangladesh, (known until then as "East Pakistan
East Pakistan
East Pakistan was a provincial state of Pakistan established in 14 August 1947. The provincial state existed until its declaration of independence on 26 March 1971 as the independent nation of Bangladesh. Pakistan recognized the new nation on 16 December 1971. East Pakistan was created from Bengal...
"), fought for its independence from Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
in what was known as the Bangladesh Liberation War
Bangladesh Liberation War
The Bangladesh Liberation War was an armed conflict pitting East Pakistan and India against West Pakistan. The war resulted in the secession of East Pakistan, which became the independent nation of Bangladesh....
. In the region of Sylhet, this led some people to join the Mukti Bahini
Mukti Bahini
Mukti Bahini , also termed as the "Freedom Fighters" or FFs, collectively refers to the armed organizations who fought against the Pakistan Army during the Bangladesh Liberation War. It was dynamically formed by Bengali regulars and civilians after the proclamation of Bangladesh's independence on...
, or Liberation Army. However, the war also caused large numbers of Sylhetis to flee, mainly to Britain.
In the 1970s
1970s
File:1970s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: US President Richard Nixon doing the V for Victory sign after his resignation from office after the Watergate scandal in 1974; Refugees aboard a US naval boat after the Fall of Saigon, leading to the end of the Vietnam War in 1975; The 1973 oil...
, changes in immigration laws
British nationality law
British nationality law is the law of the United Kingdom that concerns citizenship and other categories of British nationality. The law is complex because of the United Kingdom's former status as an imperial power.-History:...
encouraged a new wave of Bangladeshis to come to the UK and settle. Job opportunities were initially limited to low paid sectors, with unskilled-semi skilled work in small factories and the textile trade being common. When the "Indian' restaurant" concept became popular, some Sylhetis started to open cafes. From these small beginnings a network of Bangladeshi restaurants, shops and other small business' became established in Brick Lane and surrounding areas. The influence of Bangladeshi culture and diversity began to develop across the East London boroughs.
The early immigrants lived and worked mainly in cramped basements and attics within the Tower Hamlets area. The men were often illiterate, poorly educated, and spoke little English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, so could not interact well with the English-speaking population and could not enter higher education. Some became targets for English businessmen, who sold their properties to other Sylhetis, even though they had no legal claim to the buildings.,
Social integration
Social integration, in sociology and other social sciences, is the movement of minority groups such as ethnic minorities, refugees and underprivileged sections of a society into the mainstream of societies...
with the majority British population. Jewish bakeries were turned into curry houses, jewellery shops became sari
Sari
A sari or sareeThe name of the garment in various regional languages include: , , , , , , , , , , , , , is a strip of unstitched cloth, worn by females, ranging from four to nine metres in length that is draped over the body in various styles. It is popular in India, Bangladesh, Nepal,...
stores, and synagogues became dress factories. The synagogue at the corner of Fournier Street and Brick Lane became the Jamme Masjid
Brick Lane Mosque
Brick Lane Jamme Masjid formerly known as the London Jamme Masjid , is located in the area of Spitalfields alongside the street of Brick Lane and Fournier Street in east London, England...
or 'Great London Mosque', which continues to serve the Bangladeshi community to this day. This building represents the history of successive communities of immigrants in this part of London. It was built in 1743 as a French Protestant church; in 1819 it became a Methodist chapel, and in 1898 was designated as the Spitalfields
Spitalfields
Spitalfields is a former parish in the borough of Tower Hamlets, in the East End of London, near to Liverpool Street station and Brick Lane. The area straddles Commercial Street and is home to many markets, including the historic Old Spitalfields Market, founded in the 17th century, Sunday...
Great Synagogue. It was finally sold, to become the Jamme Masjid.
The period also however saw a rise in the number of attacks on Bangladeshis in the area, in a reprise of the racial tensions of the 1930s, when Oswald Mosley
Oswald Mosley
Sir Oswald Ernald Mosley, 6th Baronet, of Ancoats, was an English politician, known principally as the founder of the British Union of Fascists...
's Blackshirts
British Union of Fascists
The British Union was a political party in the United Kingdom formed in 1932 by Sir Oswald Mosley as the British Union of Fascists, in 1936 it changed its name to the British Union of Fascists and National Socialists and then in 1937 to simply the British Union...
had marched against the Jewish communities. In nearby Bethnal Green
Bethnal Green
Bethnal Green is a district of the East End of London, England and part of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, with the far northern parts falling within the London Borough of Hackney. Located northeast of Charing Cross, it was historically an agrarian hamlet in the ancient parish of Stepney,...
the anti-immigrant National Front
British National Front
The National Front is a far right, white-only political party whose major political activities took place during the 1970s and 1980s. Its popularity peaked in the 1979 general election, when it received 191,719 votes ....
became active, distributing leaflets on the streets and holding meetings. White youths known as "skinheads" appeared in the Brick Lane area, vandalising property and reportedly spitting at Bengali children and assaulting women. Bengali children were allowed out of school early; women walked to work in groups to shield them from potential violence. Parents began to impose curfews on their children, for their own safety; flats were protected against racially motivated arson by the installation of fire-proof letterboxes.
Whitechapel Road
Whitechapel Road is a major arterial road in the East End of London, England. It connects Whitechapel High Street to the west with Mile End Road to the east and forms part of the A11 road. It is a main shopping street in the Whitechapel area of Tower Hamlets and has a street market...
, by St Mary's Churchyard. This murder mobilised the Bangladeshi community. Demonstrations were held in the area of Brick Lane against the National Front, and groups such as the Bangladesh Youth Movement were formed. On 14 May over 7,000 people, mostly Bangladeshis, took part in a demonstration against racial violence, marching behind Altab Ali’s coffin to Hyde Park
Hyde Park, London
Hyde Park is one of the largest parks in central London, United Kingdom, and one of the Royal Parks of London, famous for its Speakers' Corner.The park is divided in two by the Serpentine...
. Some youths formed local gangs and carried out reprisal attacks on their skinhead opponents (see Youth gangs).
The name Altab Ali became associated with a movement of resistance against racist attacks, and remains linked with this struggle for human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
. His murder was the trigger for the first significant political organisation against racism by local Bangladeshis. Today’s identification and association of British Bangladeshis with Tower Hamlets owes much to this campaign. A park has been named after Altab Ali
Altab Ali Park
Altab Ali Park is a small park on Adler Street, White Church Lane and Whitechapel High Street, London E1; formerly known as St. Mary's Park it is the site of the old 14th Century white chapel, St. Mary Matfelon, from which the area of Whitechapel gets its name. Having been destroyed in The Blitz...
, at the street where he was murdered. In 1993 racial violence was incited by the anti-immigration British National Party
British National Party
The British National Party is a British far-right political party formed as a splinter group from the National Front by John Tyndall in 1982...
(BNP); several Bangladeshi students were severely injured, but the BNP's attempted inroads were stopped after demonstrations of Bangladeshi resolve.
In 1988, a "friendship link" between the city of St Albans
St Albans
St Albans is a city in southern Hertfordshire, England, around north of central London, which forms the main urban area of the City and District of St Albans. It is a historic market town, and is now a sought-after dormitory town within the London commuter belt...
in Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
and the region of Sylhet was created by the district council. This link between the two cities was established when the council supported housing project in the city as part of the International Year of Shelter for the Homeless initiative. It was also created because, Sylhet is the area of origin for the largest ethnic minority group in St Albans. In April 2001, the London Borough of Tower Hamlets
London Borough of Tower Hamlets
The London Borough of Tower Hamlets is a London borough to the east of the City of London and north of the River Thames. It is in the eastern part of London and covers much of the traditional East End. It also includes much of the redeveloped Docklands region of London, including West India Docks...
council officially renamed the 'Spitalfields
Spitalfields
Spitalfields is a former parish in the borough of Tower Hamlets, in the East End of London, near to Liverpool Street station and Brick Lane. The area straddles Commercial Street and is home to many markets, including the historic Old Spitalfields Market, founded in the 17th century, Sunday...
' electoral ward Spitalfields and Banglatown. Surrounding streets were redecorated, with lamp posts painted in green and red, the colours of the Bangladeshi flag
Flag of Bangladesh
The national flag of Bangladesh was adopted officially on 17 January 1972. It is based on a similar flag used during the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971. The map was later deleted from the flag by the order of General Abul Manzur, most likely to simplify the design...
. By this stage the majority living in the ward were of Bangladeshi origin—nearly 60% of the population.
Population
Bangladeshis in the UK are largely a youthful population, heavily concentrated in London’s inner boroughs. According to the 2001 CensusUnited Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
283,063 Bangladeshis lived in the United Kingdom, forming 0.5% of the total population. Based on latest statistics by the Office for National Statistics
Office for National Statistics
The Office for National Statistics is the executive office of the UK Statistics Authority, a non-ministerial department which reports directly to the Parliament of the United Kingdom.- Overview :...
, there were 338,300 Bangladeshis living in England and Wales as of 2006, it is however estimated that there are around 500,000 Bangladeshis in the UK. London's Bangladeshi population was 153,893, representing 54.37% of the UK Bangladeshi population (2001). The highest concentrations were found in Tower Hamlets, where Bangladeshis constituted 33.5% of the borough population (22.8% of the UK Bangladeshi population), and in Newham
London Borough of Newham
The London Borough of Newham is a London borough formed from the towns of West Ham and East Ham, within East London.It is situated east of the City of London, and is north of the River Thames. According to 2006 estimates, Newham has one of the highest ethnic minority populations of all the...
, accounting for 9% of the borough population. The largest Bangladeshi population outside London is in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
(23,200), there are 11,000 Bangladeshis in Oldham, Lancashire
Oldham
Oldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amid the Pennines on elevated ground between the rivers Irk and Medlock, south-southeast of Rochdale, and northeast of the city of Manchester...
, 60% of Bangladeshis in Oldham lived in Westwood
Westwood, Greater Manchester
Westwood is an urban area of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England. It occupies a hillside known as North Moor in the western part of Oldham, close to its boundary with Royton and Chadderton...
, the highest concentration outside London, and in Luton, Bedfordshire
Luton
Luton is a large town and unitary authority of Bedfordshire, England, 30 miles north of London. Luton and its near neighbours, Dunstable and Houghton Regis, form the Luton/Dunstable Urban Area with a population of about 250,000....
with a population of 7,641. More than half of the United Kingdom's Bangladeshis—approximately 53%—were born in Bangladesh. Bangladesh ranks third in the list of countries of birth for Londoners born outside the United Kingdom. Bangladeshis are one of the youngest of the UK's ethnic populations; 38% under the age of 16, 59% aged between 16–64, and only 3% aged 65 and over. The census also revealed a heavy predominance in the male population, which was 64% of the total.
Employment and education
Bangladeshis are now mainly employed in the distributionDistribution (business)
Product distribution is one of the four elements of the marketing mix. An organization or set of organizations involved in the process of making a product or service available for use or consumption by a consumer or business user.The other three parts of the marketing mix are product, pricing,...
, hotel and restaurant industries. In 2001 and 2002, Bangladeshis had the highest unemployment
Unemployment
Unemployment , as defined by the International Labour Organization, occurs when people are without jobs and they have actively sought work within the past four weeks...
rate in Britain, at 20% for men and 24% for women; over 40% of Bangladeshi men under 25 were unemployed. In Tower Hamlets 32% of people aged between 18–25 years were unemployed. The average earnings of the Bangladeshis were £150 per week
New generation Bangladeshis, however, aspire to professional careers, becoming doctors, IT management specialists, teachers and in business. In education, Bangladeshi pupils have registered below the average national academic achievement levels, but these results have steadily improved, particularly among Bangladeshi girls; this applies both to Key stage
Key Stage
A Key Stage is a stage of the state education system in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the British Territory of Gibraltar setting the educational knowledge expected of students at various ages...
levels and GCSE. Ofsted
Ofsted
The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills is the non-ministerial government department of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools In England ....
reports from secondary schools
Secondary education
Secondary education is the stage of education following primary education. Secondary education includes the final stage of compulsory education and in many countries it is entirely compulsory. The next stage of education is usually college or university...
have shown that many Bangladeshi pupils are making significant progress, compared with other ethnic minority groups. Girls are more likely to do better in education than boys; 55% of girls are achieving 5 or more A*-C at GCSE, compared to 41% boys. The overall achievement rate for Bangladeshi pupils is 48%, compared with 53% for all UK pupils.
Health and housing
Bangladeshis had the highest rates of illness in the UK, in 2001. Bangladeshi men were three times as likely to visit their doctor as men in the general population. Bangladeshis also had the highest rates of people with disabilities, and were more likely to smoke than any other ethnic group, at a rate of 44% in 1999 in England. Smoking was very common amongst the men, but very few women smoked, perhaps due to cultural customs. The average number of people living in each Bangladeshi household is 4.8, larger than all other ethnic groups. Households which contained a single person were 9%; houses containing a married couple were 54%, pensioner households were 2%. Bangladeshis living in London were 40 times more likely to be living in cramped and poor housing types of housing than anyone else in the country. There were twice as many people per room as white households, with 43% living in homes with insufficient bedroom space. For these reasons many are moving out of Tower Hamlets to larger housing estates. A third of Bangladeshi homes contain more than one family—64% of all overcrowded households in Tower Hamlets are Bangladeshi. In England and Wales, only 37% of Bangladeshis owned households compared to 69% of the population, those with social rented tenure is 48%, the largest of which in Tower Hamlets (82%) and CamdenLondon Borough of Camden
In 1801, the civil parishes that form the modern borough were already developed and had a total population of 96,795. This continued to rise swiftly throughout the 19th century, as the district became built up; reaching 270,197 in the middle of the century...
(81%).
Origins
British Bangladeshis predominantly originate from the north-eastern region of SylhetSylhet Division
Sylhet Division , also known as Greater Sylhet or Sylhet region, is the northeastern division of Bangladesh, named after its main city, Sylhet...
(95%). Many families originate from different upazilas or thanas across Sylhet, which includes the districts of Sylhet
Sylhet District
The district of Sylhet consists 6754 mosques, 453 temples, 96 churches and four Buddhist temples.-Places of Interests:-Historical:#The Shrine of Hazrat Shah Jalal#The Shrine of Hazrat Shah Paran#Shahi Eidgah#Gour Govinda Fort#Kean Bridge...
, Sunamganj
Sunamganj District
The district of Sunamganj consists 3562 mosques, 560 temples and 61 churches.-History:The name Sunamganj is derived from its founder, Sipahi Sunamuddin, who established a bazaar on the bank of the river Surma. In the ancient period, Sunamganj was part of the Rarh Kingdom that included Sylhet,...
, Habiganj
Habiganj District
Habiganj is a district in the north-eastern part of Bangladesh. It is under Sylhet Division.Habiganj is the historical place where the Mukti Bahini started their first guerrilla movement against aggressor Pakistani Army. It is also the place full of memory of Syed Nasir Uddin, an associate of...
and Maulvibazar. The largest places of origin are in the upazilas of, Jagannathpur
Jagannathpur Upazila
Jagannathpur is an upazila located in the district of Sunamganj in the division of Sylhet, north east of Bangladesh. The upazila is boundaried by Chhatak in the north, to the east Bishwanath, to the south east is Balaganj, Nabiganj on the south, to the west Derai and Sunamganj Sadar in the north...
, Beanibazar
Beanibazar Upazila
Beanibazar is an Upazila of Sylhet District in the Division of Sylhet, Bangladesh.- History :The name "Beanibazar", correct spelling is 'Bihani Bazaar' which means "morning market". In the past, Beanibazar was surrounded mostly by jungles with many tigers that attacked people regularly at night...
and Bishwanth
Bishwanath Upazila
Bishwanath is an Upazila of Sylhet District in the Division of Sylhet, Bangladesh.-Geography:Bishwanath is located at . It has 26346 units of house hold and total area 214.5 km².-Demographics:...
. Other places within the Sylhet region which also have large numbers of expatriates include, Moulvibazar
Maulvibazar Sadar Upazila
Maulvibazar Sadar is an Upazila of Maulvibazar District in the Division of Sylhet, Bangladesh.-Geography:Maulvibazar Sadar is located at . It has 40573 units of house hold and total area 344.34 km².-Demographics:...
, Golapganj
Golapganj Upazila
Golabganj is an Upazila of Sylhet District in the Division of Sylhet, Bangladesh.-History:Golapganj is the home of the legendary Khan Bahadur Nasiruddin Chowdhury, an Aristocrat, Iconic Civil Servant of British India, a Philanthropist and a charismatic personality of the archaic Golapganj society...
, Nabiganj
Nabiganj Upazila
Nabiganj is an Upazila of Habiganj District in the Division of Sylhet, Bangladesh.-Geography:Nabiganj is located at . It has 41358 units of house hold and total area 439.6 km².-Demographics:...
and many others across the region. The minorities from outside Sylhet are mainly from Noakhali, Chittagong
Chittagong
Chittagong ) is a city in southeastern Bangladesh and the capital of an eponymous district and division. Built on the banks of the Karnaphuli River, the city is home to Bangladesh's busiest seaport and has a population of over 4.5 million, making it the second largest city in the country.A trading...
and Khulna
Khulna
Khulna is the third largest city in Bangladesh. It is located on the banks of the Rupsha and Bhairab rivers in Khulna District. It is the divisional headquarters of Khulna Division and a major industrial and commercial center. It has a seaport named Mongla on its outskirts, 38 km from Khulna...
, very few are from other divisions. The majority of Bangladeshis speak Sylheti
Sylheti language
Sylheti is the language of Sylhet, which is also known as the Surma Valley and is located in the north-eastern region of Bangladesh, and also spoken in parts of the Northeast Indian states of Assam and Tripura...
. The language is sometimes considered as a dialect
Bengali dialects
The dialects of the Bengali language are part of the Eastern Indo-Aryan language group of the Indo-European language family. Borishali , Noakhali , Rongpore , Khulna and Mymonshingh are major spoken dialects in Bangladesh...
of Bengali, and does not have written form. Although many Sylheti speakers say they speak Bengali, this is because they do not expect outsiders to be well informed about dialects. Bengali/Sylheti is the second largest language spoken after English in London. 97% of Bangladeshi students speak English as a second language, after Sylheti. In recent years, there has been a slight increase in the numbers of Bangladeshi students arriving to the United Kingdom, majority of these are from Dhaka
Dhaka
Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh and the principal city of Dhaka Division. Dhaka is a megacity and one of the major cities of South Asia. Located on the banks of the Buriganga River, Dhaka, along with its metropolitan area, had a population of over 15 million in 2010, making it the largest city...
and other regions. Many of these are on student Visas
Visa (document)
A visa is a document showing that a person is authorized to enter the territory for which it was issued, subject to permission of an immigration official at the time of actual entry. The authorization may be a document, but more commonly it is a stamp endorsed in the applicant's passport...
, living in the East London areas among the Bangladeshi communities.
Culture
Majority of British Bengalis regard Bangladesh as their "ancestral home", although a survey showed strong feelings that they belonged to British society. The cultural traditions practiced in Bangladesh, are also widely practiced by the community. The languages of Sylheti and Bengali are viewed as important features of cultural identityCultural identity
Cultural identity is the identity of a group or culture, or of an individual as far as one is influenced by one's belonging to a group or culture. Cultural identity is similar to and has overlaps with, but is not synonymous with, identity politics....
, parents therefore encourage young people to attend standard
Standard language
A standard language is a language variety used by a group of people in their public discourse. Alternatively, varieties become standard by undergoing a process of standardization, during which it is organized for description in grammars and dictionaries and encoded in such reference works...
Bengali classes to learn the language, although many find this learning progress difficult in the UK. English tends to be spoken among younger brothers and sisters and peer groups, and Bengali/Sylheti with parents. Communities share and favour a family-orientated community culture.
Celebrations
Baishakhi Mela
The Baishakhi Mela celebrated in London, England, takes place across the area of Banglatown in the borough of Tower Hamlets in east London through Brick Lane to Weavers Fields and Allen Gardens in Bethnal Green. The event is a celebration of the Bengali New Year, with musical and cultural events...
is a celebration of the Bengali New Year, celebrated by the Bangladeshi community every year. Held each April–May since 1997 in London's Banglatown, it is the largest Asian open-air event in Europe, and largest the largest Bengali festival outside Bangladesh. In Bangladesh and West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
it is known as the Pohela Boishakh. The event is broadcast live across different continents; it features a funfair, music and dance displays on stages, with people dressed in colourful traditional clothes, in Weavers Field and Allen Gardens in Bethnal Green. The Mela is also designed to enhance the area's community identity, bringing together the best of Bengali culture. Brick Lane
Brick Lane
Brick Lane is a street in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, in the East End of London. It runs from Swanfield Street in the northern part of Bethnal Green, crosses Bethnal Green Road, passes through Spitalfields and is linked to Whitechapel High Street to the south by the short stretch of...
is the main destination where curry and Bengali spices are served throughout the day. As of 2009, the Mela was organised by the Tower Hamlets council, attracting 95,000 people, featuring with popular artists such as Momtaz Begum, Nukul Kumar Bishwash, Mumzy and many others.
The Language Movement Day
Language Movement Day
Language Movement Day or Language Revolution Day , which is also referred to as Language Martyrs' Day or Martyrs' Day , is a national day of Bangladesh to commemorate protests and sacrifices to protect Bangla as a national language during Bengali Language Movement of 1952.-Background:In 1952,...
(Shaheed Dibosh), commemorates the martyrdom of the people killed in the demonstrations of 1952 for the Bengali language. In the London borough of Tower Hamlets, the Shaheed Minar
Shaheed Minar
The Shaheed Minar is a national monument in Dhaka, Bangladesh, established to commemorate those killed during the Language Movement demonstrations of 1952....
was elected in Altab Ali Park
Altab Ali Park
Altab Ali Park is a small park on Adler Street, White Church Lane and Whitechapel High Street, London E1; formerly known as St. Mary's Park it is the site of the old 14th Century white chapel, St. Mary Matfelon, from which the area of Whitechapel gets its name. Having been destroyed in The Blitz...
in 1999. At the entrance to the park is an arch created by David Peterson, developed as a memorial to Altab Ali and other victims of racist attacks. The arch incorporates a complex Bengali-style pattern, meant to show the merging of different cultures in East London. A similar monument was built in Westwood
Westwood, Greater Manchester
Westwood is an urban area of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England. It occupies a hillside known as North Moor in the western part of Oldham, close to its boundary with Royton and Chadderton...
, in Oldham
Oldham
Oldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amid the Pennines on elevated ground between the rivers Irk and Medlock, south-southeast of Rochdale, and northeast of the city of Manchester...
, through a local council regeneration. This event is taken place at midnight on 20 February, where the Bengali community come together to lay wreath
Wreath
A wreath is an assortment of flowers, leaves, fruits, twigs and/or various materials that is constructed to resemble a ring. They are used typically as Christmas decorations to symbolize the coming of Christ, also known as the Advent season in Christianity. They are also used as festive headdresses...
s at the monument. Around 2,500 families, councilors and community members paid their respect at Altab Ali Park, as of February 2009.
Marriage
Interpersonal ties
In mathematical sociology, interpersonal ties are defined as information-carrying connections between people. Interpersonal ties, generally, come in three varieties: strong, weak, or absent...
. Many marriages of Bangladeshis are between the British (Londonis) and Bangladeshi-born; sometimes men will go to Bangladesh to get married, however over the years more women are marrying in Bangladesh. Marriages between relatives are common, and increase relationships within extended families. Second or third generation Bangladeshis are more likely to get married in the UK, within the British culture, exposure to which has created a division between preferences for arranged marriages or for love marriages. In accordance with traditional practice the bride’s family must buy the groom’s family a whole new set of furniture, which is housed in the family home, all original furniture being either thrown out or given away. The average Bangladeshi community will spend from £
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
30-60,000 for a single wedding within the community, which includes the decorations, the venue, food, clothing and limousines, all areas in which there is competition between families. Forced marriage
Forced marriage
Forced marriage is a term used to describe a marriage in which one or both of the parties is married without his or her consent or against his or her will...
s are rare, however the practice is largely present in Bangladesh, the British High Commission has been involved with many cases concerning on British citizens. These include Nasrin Begum, a 19-year old teenager who travelled from the UK to Bangladesh with her mother in 2008, she contacted the British consular office in Sylhet to intervene, and was rescued by embassy officials in the village. Another media highlight includes a Bangladeshi-born National Health Service
National Health Service
The National Health Service is the shared name of three of the four publicly funded healthcare systems in the United Kingdom. They provide a comprehensive range of health services, the vast majority of which are free at the point of use to residents of the United Kingdom...
doctor Humayra Abedin
Humayra Abedin
Humayra Abedin is a Bangladesh-born doctor of medicine who worked for the National Health Service in the United Kingdom and became a cause celebre after her parents tried to force her into marriage and held her captive until she was freed by court order....
, she was deceived by her parents after asking her to arrive at their home in Dhaka
Dhaka
Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh and the principal city of Dhaka Division. Dhaka is a megacity and one of the major cities of South Asia. Located on the banks of the Buriganga River, Dhaka, along with its metropolitan area, had a population of over 15 million in 2010, making it the largest city...
, a court ordered her parents to hand her over to the British High Commission. The commission has been reported to have handled 56 cases from April 2007 to March 2008.
Cuisine
British Bangladeshis consume traditional Bangladeshi food, in particular rice with curry. Many traditional Bengali dishes are served with rice, including chicken, lentilLentil
The lentil is an edible pulse. It is a bushy annual plant of the legume family, grown for its lens-shaped seeds...
(dahl), and fish. Another popular food is shatkora, which is a citrus and tangy fruit from Sylhet, mainly used for flavourings in curries. Bangladeshi cooking has become popular in Britain because of the number of Bangladeshi-owned restaurants, which has increased significantly. In 1946 there were 20 restaurants, while today there are 7,200 owned by Bangladeshis, out of a total of 8,500 Indian restaurants in the UK. Surveys show that Bangladeshi curries
Cuisine of Bangladesh
Bangladeshi cuisine refers to the Bengali cuisine prevalent in Bangladesh. Bangladesh was the eastern part of Bengal before the Partition of India. The Bangladeshi cuisine incorporates many Persian-Arabic elements and the usage of beef greatly sets it apart from the cuisine in West Bengal in India....
are among the most popular of dishes; the chicken tikka masala
Chicken Tikka Masala
Chicken tikka masala is a curry dish of roasted chicken chunks in a spicy sauce. The sauce is usually creamy, spiced and orange-coloured...
is now regarded as one of Britain's favourite national food dishes
National dish
A national dish is a dish, food or a drink that is considered to represent a particular country, nation or region.A dish can become a national dish for a variety of reasons. It can be the national dish because it is a staple daily food for the majority of the population. It can also be the national...
.
Media
There are five Bengali channels available on satellite television in Britain. Two British-owned channels are Channel SChannel S
Channel S is a UK-based, free-to-air television channel targeting the British Bangladeshi community. The channel was established on 16 December 2004, by Mahee Ferdous Jalil - a Bangladeshi businessman in London. On Sky it had a timesharing deal with ATN Global, and then in 2005 it started to...
, and Bangla TV
Bangla TV
Bangla TV is a UK-based satellite television channel targeting the Bengali speaking people in the United Kingdom, and in Europe.-History:Launched in 1999, Bangla TV was the first Bengali language television channel in the UK...
. There has been bitter rivalry between the two channels over the years over community agreements. Popular national channels, ATN Bangla
ATN Bangla
ATN Bangla is a Bengali language digital cable television channel. It transmits from its studio in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The channel is transmitted in South Asia, the Middle-east, Europe, and North America. The channel offers a wide variety of programming including news, movies, dramas, talk shows,...
, NTV
NTV (Bangladesh)
NTV is a Bengali language satellite television channel based in Bangladesh. It started operation in 2003. It is one of the most popular Bengali TV channels in the country. In the anniversary of the channel, the founder expressed interest in creating NTV2 to satisfy the watchers further, however he...
and Channel i
Channel I
Channel i is a privately owned Television network in Bangladesh. It is owned by the Impress Group, among the largest conglomerates in Bangladesh with interests in textiles, pharmaceuticals and media....
are also available. Bengali newspapers have been increasing within the community, such include Surma News Group. The East End Life (local newspaper of the borough) also includes a section for the Bengali readers. The first international film based on a story about British Bangladeshis was Brick Lane
Brick Lane (film)
Brick Lane is an award-winning 2007 British drama film directed by Sarah Gavron and adapted from the novel of the same name by Monica Ali. The screenplay was adapted from the novel by Laura Jones and Abi Morgan, and Tannishtha Chatterjee played the lead role...
(2007), based on the novel by author Monica Ali
Monica Ali
Monica Ali is a British writer of Bangladeshi origin. She is the author of Brick Lane, her debut novel, which was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize for Fiction in 2003...
, her book is about a woman who moves to London from rural Bangladesh, with her husband, wedded in an arranged marriage
Arranged marriage
An arranged marriage is a practice in which someone other than the couple getting married makes the selection of the persons to be wed, meanwhile curtailing or avoiding the process of courtship. Such marriages had deep roots in royal and aristocratic families around the world...
. The film was critically acclaimed and the novel was an award-winning best seller. The film however caused some controversy within the community. Other films created in the community are mainly based on the struggles which British Bangladeshis face such as drugs and presenting a culture clash. These dramas include, Shopner Desh (2006) - a story related to the culture clashes.
Religion
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
. Out of all the ethnic groups in the UK it has the largest proportion of people following a single religion. Nearly all Bangladeshis are Sunni Muslims
Sunni Islam
Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam. Sunni Muslims are referred to in Arabic as ʾAhl ūs-Sunnah wa āl-Ǧamāʿah or ʾAhl ūs-Sunnah for short; in English, they are known as Sunni Muslims, Sunnis or Sunnites....
; the 2001 census in England and Wales
England and Wales
England and Wales is a jurisdiction within the United Kingdom. It consists of England and Wales, two of the four countries of the United Kingdom...
showed those who indicated their religion, 92.5% were Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
, and 1.2% follow other religions (mostly Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
and Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
). In London, Bangladeshi Muslims make up 24% of all London Muslims, more than any other single ethnic group in the capital. The largest affiliations are the Deobandi
Deobandi
Deobandi is a movement of Sunni Islam. The movement began at Darul Uloom Deoband in Deoband, India, where its foundation was laid on 30 May 1866.-History:...
movement (mainly of Tablighi Jamaat
Tablighi Jamaat
Tablighi Jamaat is a religious movement which was founded in 1926 by Muhammad Ilyas al-Kandhlawi in India. The movement primarily aims at Tablighi spiritual reformation by working at the grass roots level, reaching out to Muslims across all social and economic spectra to bring them closer to...
), the Jamaat-e-Islami
Abul Ala Maududi
Syed Abul A'ala Maududi , also known as Molana or Shaikh Syed Abul A'ala Mawdudi, was a Sunni Pakistani journalist, theologian, Muslim revivalist leader and political philosopher, and a major 20th century Islamist thinker. He was also a prominent political figure in Pakistan and was the first...
movement, and the Sufi
Sufism
Sufism or ' is defined by its adherents as the inner, mystical dimension of Islam. A practitioner of this tradition is generally known as a '...
Barelvi
Barelvi
Barelvi is a term used for the movement of Sufi , Sunni Islam originating in the Indian subcontinent.The Movement is known as Ahle Sunnat movement to its followers....
(includes the Fultali movement). The Hizb ut-Tahrir
Hizb ut-Tahrir
Hizb ut-Tahrir is an international Sunni. pan-Islamic political organisation but keeps it open for all including shias,some of its beliefs are against sunni school of thought, whose goal is for all Muslim countries to unify as an Islamic state or caliphate ruled by Islamic law and with a caliph...
, and the Salafi
Salafi
A Salafi come from Sunni Islam is a follower of an Islamic movement, Salafiyyah, that is supposed to take the Salaf who lived during the patristic period of early Islam as model examples...
movement also have a small following.
Most Bangladeshis regard themselves as part of the ummah
Ummah
Ummah is an Arabic word meaning "community" or "nation." It is commonly used to mean either the collective nation of states, or the whole Arab world...
, basing their identity on their religion rather than their ethnic group
Ethnic group
An ethnic group is a group of people whose members identify with each other, through a common heritage, often consisting of a common language, a common culture and/or an ideology that stresses common ancestry or endogamy...
. A majority of older women wear the burqa
Burqa
A burqa is an enveloping outer garment worn by women in some Islamic religion to cover their bodies in public places. The burqa is usually understood to be the woman's loose body-covering , plus the head-covering , plus the face-veil .-Etymology:A speculative and unattested etymology...
, and many young women are opting to wear a hijab
Hijab
The word "hijab" or "'" refers to both the head covering traditionally worn by Muslim women and modest Muslim styles of dress in general....
, a traditional women's headscarf—whereas in Bangladesh, comparatively very few women do so; this has been described as a "British phenomenon
Phenomenon
A phenomenon , plural phenomena, is any observable occurrence. Phenomena are often, but not always, understood as 'appearances' or 'experiences'...
". Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
is also learned by children, many of whom attend Qur'an
Qur'an
The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
classes at mosques or the madrasah
Madrasah
Madrasah is the Arabic word for any type of educational institution, whether secular or religious...
. Many male youths are also involved with Islamic groups, which include the Young Muslim Organisation, affiliated with the Islamic Forum Europe
Islamic Forum Europe
The Islamic Forum of Europe is an Islamic organisation based in London with branches throughout the United Kingdom. Its website states it has branches in "most of the European countries including: Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden...
. This group is based in Tower Hamlets, and has thus attracted mainly young Bangladeshi Muslims. It has been increasingly associated with the East London Mosque, which is one of the largest mosques used predominantly by Bangladeshis. In 2004, the mosque created a new extension attached, the London Muslim Centre which holds up to 10,000 people.
Festivals
Religious Muslim festivals celebrated by the community each year, which includes Eid al-Adha and Eid ul-FitrEid ul-Fitr
Eid ul-Fitr, Eid al-Fitr, Id-ul-Fitr, or Id al-Fitr , often abbreviated to Eid, is a Muslim holiday that marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting . Eid is an Arabic word meaning "festivity," while Fiṭr means "breaking the fast"...
. People are dressed in their new traditional clothing such as sherwani
Sherwani
Sherwani is a long coat-like garment worn in South Asia, very similar to an Achkan or doublet, and is traditionally associated with the Muslim aristocracy of the northern Indian subcontinent....
or salwar kameez. Children are given money by elders, and Eid prayer
Eid Prayer
The Eid prayer was prescribed in the first year after the hijra. It is Wajib and Muhammad always performed these prayers.-Procedure:...
s are attended by men in the morning in large numbers, they will then visit their relatives later in the day. Traditional food
Bengali cuisine
Bengali cuisine is a culinary style originating in Bengal, a region in the eastern South Asia which is now divided between the Indian state of West Bengal and the independent country of Bangladesh. Other regions, such as Tripura, and Barak Valley region of Assam also have large native Bengali...
will be cooked for relatives, such as samosa
Samosa
A samosa is a stuffed, deep fried,snack that is very popular in the Indian Subcontinent, Southeast Asia, Central Asia and Southwest Asia, the Arabian Peninsula, the Mediterranean, the Horn of Africa, North Africa and South Africa...
or handesh. The celebration of Eid reunites relatives and improves relations. In the evening, young people will spend the remaining time socialising with friends. Some, however, will go "cruising
Cruising (driving)
Cruising is a social activity that primarily consists of driving a car. Cruising can be an expression of the perceived freedom of possessing a driver's license. Cruising is distinguished from regular driving by the social and recreational nature of the activity, which characterized by an...
" – travelling across cities in expensive hired cars, playing loud music and sometimes waving the Bangladesh flag. Sociologists suggest these British Bangladeshi boys and girls have reinterpreted the older, more traditional practice of their faith and culture. The Eid al-Adha is celebrated after Ramadan
Ramadan
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, which lasts 29 or 30 days. It is the Islamic month of fasting, in which participating Muslims refrain from eating, drinking, smoking and sex during daylight hours and is intended to teach Muslims about patience, spirituality, humility and...
, to commemorate the prophet Ibrahim's compliance to sacrifice his son Isma’il. An animal has to be sacrificed, and then distributed between families and neighbours as zakat
Zakat
Zakāt , one of the Five Pillars of Islam, is the giving of a fixed portion of one's wealth to charity, generally to the poor and needy.-History:Zakat, a practice initiated by Muhammed himself, has played an important role throughout Islamic history...
, however sometimes in the UK this is not practiced and the meat is purchased, therefore there is much difficulty for expatriates to celebrate the event. Some instead of distributing meat, pay zakat to mosques or others however send large sums of money to families in Bangladesh, for the purchase of cows.
Contribution
Rushanara Ali
Rushanara Ali is a British Labour Party politician and Associate Director of the Young Foundation, who has been the Member of Parliament for Bethnal Green and Bow since 2010...
is the first person of Bangladeshi origin to have been elected as a member of parliament during the 2010 general election for the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
from the constituency of Bethnal Green and Bow
Bethnal Green and Bow
Bethnal Green and Bow is a parliamentary constituency located in Greater London, represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election. The constituency first existed 1974-1983, and was...
, winning by a large majority of more than 10,000. Baroness Uddin
Pola Uddin, Baroness Uddin
Manzila Pola Uddin, Baroness Uddin is a British Labour politician, and community activist.-Background:Uddin was born in a village in Bangladesh. She moved with her parents to the United Kingdom in 1973, when she was 13 years of age, and she grew up in the East End of London...
was the first Bangladeshi and Muslim woman to enter the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
; she swore the oath of office in her own faith. Anwar Choudhury
Anwar Choudhury
Anwar Choudhury is the Director of International Institutions at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office. He was a High Commissioner to Bangladesh, and was the first British Head of Mission to be of Bangladeshi origin...
became the British High Commissioner for Bangladesh in 2004, the first non-white British person to be appointed in a senior diplomatic post. Lutfur Rahman
Lutfur Rahman
Lutfur Rahman is a community activist and local politician in London, England. He became the first directly elected mayor of Tower Hamlets in 2010, having previously been the leader of Tower Hamlets London Borough Council from 2008 to 2010.-Education:...
is the first directly elected mayor of Tower Hamlets
Directly elected mayor of Tower Hamlets
The directly elected mayor of Tower Hamlets is a new directly elected mayor, elected on 21 October 2010, taking on the executive function of Tower Hamlets London Borough Council in east London, England...
. Dr. Muhammad Abdul Bari
Muhammad Abdul Bari
Muhammad Abdul Bari, MBE FRSA , is the Chairman of the East London Mosque, and was the Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain from 2006 until 2010.-Life and career:...
is the chairman of the Muslim Council of Britain
Muslim Council of Britain
The Muslim Council of Britain is a self-appointed umbrella body for national, regional, local and specialist organisations and institutions from different ethnic and sectarian backgrounds within British Islamic society. It was established in 1997 to help Muslims, to increase education about the...
- the largest Muslim organisation in Britain. Murad Qureshi
Murad Qureshi
Murad Qureshi is a British Labour Party politician, and a Member of the London Assembly.-Background:Qureshi was born in May 1965 in Stockport, Cheshire, but he was brought up in Westminster, London, when his parents moved in July 1965...
, a Labour politician, is a member of the Greater London Assembly.
Others have contributed in the British media and business worlds. Konnie Huq
Konnie Huq
Kanak Asha "Konnie" Huq is a British television presenter, who is best known for being the longest-serving female presenter of Blue Peter, having presented it from 1 December 1997 until 23 January 2008...
is the longest-serving female presenter in Blue Peter
Blue Peter
Blue Peter is the world's longest-running children's television show, having first aired in 1958. It is shown on CBBC, both in its BBC One programming block and on the CBBC channel. During its history there have been many presenters, often consisting of two women and two men at a time...
, a BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
television programme for children. Other notable national TV presenters have included Lisa Aziz
Lisa Aziz
Lisa Aziz is a British news presenter. She is best known as the co-presenter of the Bristol based ITV South West nightly weekday news programme The West Country Tonight. Before this she worked for TV-am and Sky News, and was one of the first Asian presenters to be seen on television...
of Sky News
Sky News
Sky News is a 24-hour British and international satellite television news broadcaster with an emphasis on UK and international news stories.The service places emphasis on rolling news, including the latest breaking news. Sky News also hosts localised versions of the channel in Australia and in New...
, Nina Hossain
Nina Hossain
Nina Hossain is a British journalist, presenter and newscaster.Hossain is currently employed on a freelance basis by ITN where she is the main presenter of ITV London's regional news programme London Tonight. Nina also acts as a relief newscaster for ITV News.-Background:Hossain was born in...
(ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
and BBC London
BBC London
BBC London is the BBC English Region producing local radio, television, teletext and online services in London and parts of the surrounding area. Its output includes the daily BBC London News and the weekly Politics Show on television, the BBC London 94.9 radio station and local coverage of the...
) and Tasmin Lucia Khan
Tasmin Lucia Khan
Tasmin Lucia Khan is a British journalist and news presenter for ITV breakfast show Daybreak. She also presents a news bulletin for the Lorraine programme on ITV. She is a former presenter of BBC Three's hourly news bulletin, 60 Seconds, and presented E24 on the rolling news channel BBC News...
(BBC News). In drama, Shefali Chowdhury
Shefali Chowdhury
Shefali Chowdhury is a British actress best known for playing the role of Parvati Patil in the Harry Potter film series.-Life and career:Chowdhury was born in Denbigh, Wales and moved to Birmingham when she was six...
and Afshan Azad
Afshan Azad
Afshan Azad is an English actress best known for playing the role of Padma Patil in the Harry Potter film series.-Career:...
both starred in the Harry Potter
Harry Potter
Harry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by the British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the adolescent wizard Harry Potter and his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...
movies as Parvati and Padma Patil. Mumzy is an R&B and hip-hop music artist, the first Bangladeshi to be releasing a music single. Syed Ahmed
Syed Ahmed
Syed Ahmed is a British-Bangladeshi entrepreneur, businessman and television personality. He is the founder and CEO of the hand and body drier company SA Vortex. He is best known for his 2006 appearance in the second UK series of the BBC reality television show The Apprentice, in which contestants...
is a businessman and also a television star, well known for being a candidate on The Apprentice
The Apprentice (UK)
The Apprentice is a British reality television series in which a group of aspiring young businessmen and women compete for the chance to win a £100,000-a-year job as an apprentice to the British business magnate Lord Sugar in series one to six...
. There are many other entrepreneurs, including the late Abdul Latif
Abdul Latif (restaurateur)
Abdul Latif, FRSA was a British restaurateur of Bangladeshi origin. He was well-known for his dish "Curry Hell" — a curry reputedly so hot that it was offered for free to patrons of his Newcastle restaurant who could finish the entire meal.-Biography:Abdul Latif was born in 1954 near the city of...
, known for his dish "Curry Hell"; Iqbal Ahmed
Iqbal Ahmed
Iqbal Ahmed, OBE , is a British entrepreneur of Bangladeshi origin. Based in Manchester, he made his fortune in shrimp. The success of his two companies, Seamark and Ibco, have turned him into one of the UK's richest men. He is also the highest British Bangladeshi to feature on the Sunday Times...
, placed at number 511 on the Sunday Times Rich List 2006, and celebrity chef Tommy Miah
Tommy Miah
Mohammad Ajman Miah , better known as Tommy Miah, is a British celebrity chef of Bangladeshi origin. He is an internationally renowned chef, being one of the leading Bangladeshi businessman in the United Kingdom. He owns an award-winning restaurant; his flagship restaurant is located in Edinburgh...
. Rizwan Hussain
Rizwan Hussain
Rizwan Hussain is a British Barrister satellite television presenter and an international humanitarian worker...
is also very well known for TV presenting Islamic and charity shows on Channel S and Islam Channel
Islam Channel
Islam Channel is a UK-based, free-to-air, English language, Islamic-focused satellite television channel funded by advertising and donations. It was reported in 2008 that UK government research found that 97.3% of Muslims watched the channel...
, mainly known within the community.
Artists include Akram Khan
Akram Khan (dancer)
Akram Khan, MBE is a dancer whose background is rooted in his classical kathak training and contemporary dance.-Career:Khan was born in London into a family of Bangladeshi origin. He began dancing and trained in the classical Indian dance form of Kathak at the age of seven. He studied with Sri...
, dancer and choreographer, and Runa Islam
Runa Islam
Runa Islam is a Bangladesh born artist based in London, and was a nominee for the 2008 Turner Prize. Islam is principally known for her film works.-Background:...
, a visual artist on film and photography. In Sport, the only Bangladeshi professional footballer in England is Anwar Uddin. Writers which have received praise and criticism for their books include Ed Husain
Ed Husain
Mohammed Mahbub Husain is the author of The Islamist, a book about Islamic fundamentalism, and an account of his five years as an Islamist activist. Husain also helped to create, with Maajid Nawaz, the counter-extremism organisation the Quilliam Foundation. He is currently at senior fellow at the...
, who wrote the book The Islamist
The Islamist
The Islamist: Why I Joined Radical Islam in Britain, What I Saw Inside and Why I Left, is a book about Ed Husain's five years as an Islamic fundamentalist. Husain became an Islamist at the age of sixteen, but rejected fundamentalist teaching and returned to normal life and his family...
on account of his experience for five years with the Hizb ut-Tahrir, Monica Ali
Monica Ali
Monica Ali is a British writer of Bangladeshi origin. She is the author of Brick Lane, her debut novel, which was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize for Fiction in 2003...
for her book Brick Lane a story based on a Bangladeshi woman, and Kia Abdullah
Kia Abdullah
Kia Abdullah is a British-Bangladeshi author and journalist. She contributed to the guardian.co.uk website Comment is Free from 2008 to 2010 and has written two novels: Life, Love and Assimilation and Child's Play .-Career:Kia Abdullah wrote her first novel Life, Love and Assimilation after...
for her book, Life, Love and Assimilation.
Large numbers of people from the Bangladeshi community have also been involved with local government, increasingly in the London borough of Tower Hamlets, and Camden. The majority of the councillors in Tower Hamlets are of Bangladeshi descent and part of the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
. As of 2009, 32 of the total 51 councillors were Bangladeshi (63 per cent), 18 were White
White British
White British was an ethnicity classification used in the 2001 United Kingdom Census. As a result of the census, 50,366,497 people in the United Kingdom were classified as White British. In Scotland the classification was broken down into two different categories: White Scottish and Other White...
(35 per cent) and 1 Somali (2 per cent). The first Bangladeshi mayor in the country was Ghulam Murtuza in Tower Hamlets, and Camden has appointed many Bangladeshis as mayors since the first, Nasim Ali.
Political identity
Bangladesh Liberation War
The Bangladesh Liberation War was an armed conflict pitting East Pakistan and India against West Pakistan. The war resulted in the secession of East Pakistan, which became the independent nation of Bangladesh....
; the political history of Bangladesh is now is being re-interpreted again, in the UK. The secular group show nationalism through monuments, or through the introduction of Bengali culture, and the Islamic group mainly through dawah
Dawah
Da‘wah or Dawah usually denotes the preaching of Islam. Da‘wah literally means "issuing a summons" or "making an invitation", being the active participle of a verb meaning variously "to summon" or "to invite"...
.
One symbol of Bengali nationalism is the Shaheed Minar, which commemorates the Bengali Language Movement, present in Altab Ali Park which as of today - the park is also the main venue for rallies and demonstrations, and also in Westwood, Oldham. The monuments are a smaller replica of the one in Dhaka
Dhaka
Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh and the principal city of Dhaka Division. Dhaka is a megacity and one of the major cities of South Asia. Located on the banks of the Buriganga River, Dhaka, along with its metropolitan area, had a population of over 15 million in 2010, making it the largest city...
, Bangladesh, and symbolises a mother and the martyred sons. Nationalism is mainly witnessed during celebrations of the mela, when groups such as the Swadhinata Trust try to promote Bengali history and heritage amongst young people, in schools, youth clubs and community centers.
Islamic activists stress the commitment to a religious type of identity. These groups expanded their role in the local community by creating youth groups, providing lectures on Islam, and influencing people to be more involved with community mosques (e.g. East London Mosque). These groups also describe Bengali secular nationalism as a "waste of money", a way to abstract from being Islamic: they claim to believe that the Baishakhi Mela
Baishakhi Mela
The Baishakhi Mela celebrated in London, England, takes place across the area of Banglatown in the borough of Tower Hamlets in east London through Brick Lane to Weavers Fields and Allen Gardens in Bethnal Green. The event is a celebration of the Bengali New Year, with musical and cultural events...
celebrations are "shirk" activities. Tension has arisen between the groups, with Islamists and nationalists being criticized or attacked. These incidents illustrate the competition for social and political control between Islamists and secularists in the community context. This sphere
Sphere
A sphere is a perfectly round geometrical object in three-dimensional space, such as the shape of a round ball. Like a circle in two dimensions, a perfect sphere is completely symmetrical around its center, with all points on the surface lying the same distance r from the center point...
is highly dependent on collective memory and historical reinterpretations of the Liberation War.
Youth gangs
As a response to conditions
Quality of life
The term quality of life is used to evaluate the general well-being of individuals and societies. The term is used in a wide range of contexts, including the fields of international development, healthcare, and politics. Quality of life should not be confused with the concept of standard of...
faced by their first generation elders during the 1970s (see history), younger Bangladeshis started to form gangs, developing a sense of dominating their territory. One consequence of this was that Bangladeshi gangs began fighting each other. Bangladeshi teenagers involved with gangs show their allegiance to this kind of lifestyle
Western lifestyle
Western Lifestyle is defined as a social classification of people significantly influenced by the attitudes, ethics and history of the American Western Cowboy Culture. This lifestyle affects this sector of population's choice of recreation, clothing, and consumption of goods....
in various ways: heavily styled hair, expensive mobile
Mobile phone
A mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...
phones and fashionable labels and brands. Teenage street gangs have been responsible for sometimes lethal violence; it is estimated that in Tower Hamlets alone there are 2,500 Bengali youths affiliated to one of the many local gangs, and that 26 out of the 27 gangs in the area are Bangladeshi. The notorious gangs have been given names that end with massive or posse, such as the Brick Lane Massive and Brady Street Massive. Other smaller groups include the Shadwell
Shadwell
Shadwell is an inner-city district situated within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets located on the north bank of the Thames between Wapping to the south and Ratcliff to the east...
Crew, Cannon Street
Cannon Street
Cannon Street is a road in the south of the City of London. It runs roughly parallel with the River Thames, and about 250 metres north of it. It is the site of the ancient London Stone.-Etymology:...
Posse, Bengal Tigers and Bethnal Green
Bethnal Green
Bethnal Green is a district of the East End of London, England and part of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, with the far northern parts falling within the London Borough of Hackney. Located northeast of Charing Cross, it was historically an agrarian hamlet in the ancient parish of Stepney,...
Boys.
In the past, Bangladeshi gangs have fostered criminal elements, including low level drug use and credit card fraud
Credit card fraud
Credit card fraud is a wide-ranging term for theft and fraud committed using a credit card or any similar payment mechanism as a fraudulent source of funds in a transaction. The purpose may be to obtain goods without paying, or to obtain unauthorized funds from an account. Credit card fraud is also...
. However, for many the focus has changed to fighting over their territories. They use a variety of weapons, such as samurai
Samurai
is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
swords, machete
Machete
The machete is a large cleaver-like cutting tool. The blade is typically long and usually under thick. In the English language, an equivalent term is matchet, though it is less commonly known...
s, kitchen knives
Kitchen knife
A kitchen knife is any knife that is intended to be used in food preparation. While much of this work can be accomplished with a few general-purpose knives – notably a large chef's knife, a tough cleaver, and a small paring knife – there are also many specialized knives that are designed for...
and meat cleavers
Cleaver (knife)
A cleaver is a large knife that varies in its shape but usually resembles a rectangular-bladed hatchet. It is used mostly for hacking through bones as a kitchen knife or butcher knife, and can also be used for crushing via its broad side, typically garlic....
, although guns are rarely used. When members reach their twenties they usually grow out of gang membership, but some move on to more serious criminal activity. Increasing numbers of Bangladeshi youths are taking hard drugs, in particular heroin. Islamic fundamentalism has also played a part in the youth culture, illustrated by the efforts of one Brick Lane gang to oust out the white prostitutes from the area. As to dietary customs, youths generally avoid eating pork, and some from drinking alcohol; however many take recreational drug use, in particular heroin.
Business
The British Curry Awards
The British Curry Awards is an annual awards dinner dedicated to the British Curry Industry. It was established in 2005 by Enam Ali MBE. The stated aims were to recognise the unsung heroes of the curry business, to promote the curry industry and to encourage the younger generation to follow in...
'. Brick Lane, known as Banglatown, is home to many of these restaurants, and is now regarded as London's 'curry
Curry
Curry is a generic description used throughout Western culture to describe a variety of dishes from Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan, Thai or other Southeast Asian cuisines...
capital', with thousands of visitors every day. The restaurants serve different types of curry dishes, including fish, chutneys, and other halal
Halal
Halal is a term designating any object or an action which is permissible to use or engage in, according to Islamic law. The term is used to designate food seen as permissible according to Islamic law...
dishes. Although the curry industry has been the primary business of Bangladeshis (see Cuisine), many other Bangladeshis own grocery stores. Whitechapel
Whitechapel
Whitechapel is a built-up inner city district in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, London, England. It is located east of Charing Cross and roughly bounded by the Bishopsgate thoroughfare on the west, Fashion Street on the north, Brady Street and Cavell Street on the east and The Highway on the...
is a thriving local street market, offering many low-priced goods for the local Bengali
Bengali people
The Bengali people are an ethnic community native to the historic region of Bengal in South Asia. They speak Bengali , which is an Indo-Aryan language of the eastern Indian subcontinent, evolved from the Magadhi Prakrit and Sanskrit languages. In their native language, they are referred to as বাঙালী...
community. In Brick Lane there are many Bengali staples available, such as frozen fish and jack fruits. There are also many travel agents offering flights to Sylhet.
Many Bangladeshi businesses located in the East End wish to maintain a link with Sylhet, for example the weekly Sylheter Dak or the Sylhet Stores. There are also many money transfer
Wire transfer
Wire transfer or credit transfer is a method of electronic funds transfer from one person or institution to another. A wire transfer can be made from one bank account to another bank account or through a transfer of cash at a cash office...
companies; in 2007 a firm called, First Solution Money Transfer went into liquidation
Liquidation
In law, liquidation is the process by which a company is brought to an end, and the assets and property of the company redistributed. Liquidation is also sometimes referred to as winding-up or dissolution, although dissolution technically refers to the last stage of liquidation...
. Company chairman, Dr Fazal Mahmood, admitted the business owed hundreds of thousands of pounds to the public. and claimed that the firm had lost control of the money it handled due to a lack of regulation. Other large companies include Seamark and Ibco, owned by millionaire Iqbal Ahmed
Iqbal Ahmed
Iqbal Ahmed, OBE , is a British entrepreneur of Bangladeshi origin. Based in Manchester, he made his fortune in shrimp. The success of his two companies, Seamark and Ibco, have turned him into one of the UK's richest men. He is also the highest British Bangladeshi to feature on the Sunday Times...
, Taj Stores, and many others. In 2008, many restaurants came under threat. The government announced a change in the immigration
Immigration
Immigration is the act of foreigners passing or coming into a country for the purpose of permanent residence...
laws which could block entry to the UK of high skilled chefs from Bangladesh. The law demanded these workers speak fluent English, and have good formal qualifications. However, the changes however did not take place.
Remittance
Many other Bangladeshis are sending money to Bangladesh to build luxury types of houses, whereas in the United Kingdom many are living in poverty, facing deprivation, and spending less. In many villages in Sylhet, there are large numbers of luxury homes built in some suburbs or communities, the financial support mainly sent from the UK. So many are returning to build homes in Bangladesh that they are fuelling a building boom in SylhetSylhet
Sylhet , is a major city in north-eastern Bangladesh. It is the main city of Sylhet Division and Sylhet District, and was granted metropolitan city status in March 2009. Sylhet is located on the banks of the Surma Valley and is surrounded by the Jaintia, Khasi and Tripura hills...
. Businesses have also been established by the British expatriates in the city of Sylhet, such as hotels, restaurants, often themed on those found in London, have also been established to cater to the visiting Sylheti expatriate population and the growing Sylheti middle classes (i.e. London Fried Chicken or Tessco). The financial
Finance
"Finance" is often defined simply as the management of money or “funds” management Modern finance, however, is a family of business activity that includes the origination, marketing, and management of cash and money surrogates through a variety of capital accounts, instruments, and markets created...
relationship between British Bengalis and relatives in Bangladesh has changed, only 20% of Bangladeshi families in east London were sending money to Bangladesh as of 1995, this figure was approximately 85% during 1960-70s. For a large number of families in Britain the cost of living, housing, or education for the children severely constrains any regular financial commitment towards Bangladesh. Moreover, the family reunion process has resulted in the social and economic reproduction of the household in Britain; conflicts over land or money can arise involving the mutual or reciprocal relationship between members of a joint household divided by migration
Human migration
Human migration is physical movement by humans from one area to another, sometimes over long distances or in large groups. Historically this movement was nomadic, often causing significant conflict with the indigenous population and their displacement or cultural assimilation. Only a few nomadic...
. This, in turn, can reduce even more the level of investment in Sylhet. The emergence of a second and a third generation of British Bangladeshis is another factor explaining the declining proportion of people’s income being sent as remittances to Bangladesh. About 30% of all remittance sent to Bangladesh are from Britain as of 1987.
See also
- History of Bangladeshis in the United KingdomHistory of Bangladeshis in the United KingdomBangladeshis are one of the largest immigrant communities in the United Kingdom. Significant numbers of ethnic Bengalis arrived as early as the 17th century, including Sylhetis, who mostly arrived as lascar seamen working on ships...
- List of British Bangladeshis
- List of Bangladeshi people
- 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...
- List of Bengalis
- Bangladeshi diasporaBangladeshi diasporaThe Bangladeshi diaspora consists of people of Bangladeshi descent who have immigrated to or were born in another country. First generation migrants may have moved abroad from Bangladesh for better living conditions, to escape poverty, or to send money back to families in Bangladesh.The world's...
- Bengali peopleBengali peopleThe Bengali people are an ethnic community native to the historic region of Bengal in South Asia. They speak Bengali , which is an Indo-Aryan language of the eastern Indian subcontinent, evolved from the Magadhi Prakrit and Sanskrit languages. In their native language, they are referred to as বাঙালী...
- British Pakistani
- British IndianBritish IndianThe term British Indian refers to citizens of the United Kingdom whose ancestral roots lie in India. This includes people born in the UK who are of Indian descent, and Indian-born people who have migrated to the UK...
- List of Bangladesh-related topics
Further reading
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External links
- Bangladeshi diaspora in the UK
- Bangladesh High Commission
- UK in Bangladesh
- British-Bangladesh Professional Association
- British Bangladeshi Who's Who
- Street Food - London's Brick Lane
- Down the Surma - Origins of the Diaspora
- Bondor Bazar to Brick Lane
- Subject Guide on Bangladeshi London
- Bangla babes rule Britannia