| Description | An interview with Shahista ZAMIR, a single woman with no children, who is a Sixth-form student, born in Glasgow and now living in Birmingham. Shahista ZAMIR’s father was a Unemployed, born in Pakistan and her mother a Housewife born in Pakistan. In the interview, she talks about …
'ZAMIR, Shahista MS2255/2/145 Logged by Simon Cotterill
01
Born in Glasgow, 1982. Parents are Pakistani. Mother came in 1972 aged 15, her sister was already married in Birmingham. Mother and father married in 1974, father was working in steel factory.
In 1975 brother was born. Three years later, sister is born. One year later, another brother is born. Mother walking out on father.
1985 - Moved to Derby. Housing problems. Lived in Derby for three years.
1987 - Moved back to Scotland. 1990 - Mother walks out on father. Mother remarrying.
3.01 'My mum when she married my step-dad there was a lot of controversy'.
Brother's arranged marriage.
02
Mother changing the name on the mortgage from her husband to her own.
03
Mother's resourcefulness. Mother's difficulties divorcing father.
04
Asian community’s reactions against Mother.
05
58" 'Some people had a problem with it'.
1.25" 'they stayed with their husbands through thick and thin, which I think is quite silly, because if your husband’s beating you and having affairs that everyone knows about I think that just gives you the right to ask for a divorce'.
Mother not practising Islam as much as others.
2.00 Stepfather being quite devout. 'Eventually it was quite contagious as I wanted to find out more about Islam'.
Strong Islamic beliefs and traditions. Starting going to mosque.
06
Reading the Koran later than most children. Being taught understanding of Arabic.
07
Starting primary education aged 8. Going to George Dixon Primary School. Then going to Lordswood Girls’ School. Getting 10 GCSEs. Finishing A levels at Joseph Chamberlain College in English Language and Literature, Law, and Urdu. Hoping to go to Warwick University.
1.10" 'to progress on to University is something that is expected of me'.
Mother feeling an uneducated person will struggle through life.
3.00 'When I applied to Cambridge my mum expected me to travel a hundred miles roughly back and forth each day'.
Mum not wanting her to stay away from home.
08
Mum not liking the social side of university life. Mum finally agreeing to let her go to Warwick.
1.38 'In Islam you’re not meant to be socialising with the opposite gender, but it’s inevitable I believe, as females and males will mix. It’s a matter of how you deal with situations'.
Islam forbidding drugs, alcohol, smoking etc. Mum feeling Asian children become more westernised if they go away to university.
09
Identity. Mum having trouble dealing with the differences between Pakistani culture and Islam.
1.22 'I wouldn't consider myself as a Brummie … but I am very happy to live in Birmingham because it’s an excellent city … its totally multicultural, there's such a variety of people living in the city… all the time you see there's something new happening'.
2.01 'I would consider myself as Muslim British'.
10
Living in a terraced house Edgbaston.
17" 'When people think of Edgbaston they immediately perceive they are really posh, expensive, £200,000 average houses'.
1.13 'The shopping area is abysmal'.
2.02 'No one's attacked me just yet'.
11
Social life being at College. Becoming Student Governor. Not going to clubs, or the cinema much. Having large family. Somebody in the family getting married every three weeks or so.
White British friends going clubbing.
2.26 Mum not letting her go to cinema as much as she would like. 'I'm okay with that as I have quite a lot of studying to do'.
Mum encouraging participation in sport. Mum believing there should be a leeway for culture in Islamic faith.
3.50 'My mum does follow culture to a certain extent more than Islam'.
A lot of Muslims not having a television.
4.30 'Whenever a sex scene comes up we automatically jump towards the remote and change the channel'.
12
Eldest brother not praying five times a day. Mum thinking that a white or black person could not be Muslim. Mum thinking quite negatively of British people because they seem lost in their religion. Programmes watched on television.
13
Joseph Chamberlain being predominately Asian, Bangladeshi and Pakistani. Only a few white and black students, who mainly do performing arts. Asians preferring more vocational subjects.
58" 'As a Muslim you’re not meant to be taking part in expressive arts as music is not allowed, it’s condemned…there is leeway when it comes to weddings, you are allowed to have music, as long as nobody is getting very excited and dancing'.
A lot of Muslim girls not wearing the hijab to college. A lot of Muslim girls wearing salwar and not covering their hair.
2.39 'That's another instance where they're following Pakistani culture, which really does disappoint me'.
Out of about 300 Muslim students at Joseph Chamberlain only about 20 going to the Islamic society. Separations between different communities at Joseph Chamberlain.
The college having a policy to appoint as high a percentage of Asian teachers as there are students. Having to speak to boys when campaigning to become Student Governor.
14
A car passing and somebody shouting 'Oi Paki'
21" 'I wasn't insulted at the fact I'm Pakistani, not Paki'.
15
Walking through Highgate with four Asian, Muslim girls and a black girl starting a fight.
16
Disappointment at the black girl's behaviour. Crime statistics. Unreported crimes.
1.01 'There are certain areas you should stay out of like Nechells and Lozells'.
1.52 'A lot of people do judge people by where they live'.
Coming across as a very quiet, shy person in job interviews.
4.01 'The Brummie accent is quite stigmatised'.
17
Interview at a Doctor's surgery.
1.16 'When I went in I felt as if I was being talked down to'.
1.29 'Instead of saying 'what do you do in your social life ?' she said 'Do you have a social life'. Felt as if she was dismissed quite quickly. Disappointment at being judged on how you look. Brother working at HSBC bank.
2.58" 'Some people who started more than a year after my brother have been promoted before him'. Racism in the work place.
Wanting to enter the legal profession. Being told it will be hard for an ethnic minority female, who hasn't been to Oxford or Cambridge. Cousin is barrister.
18
Expecting to get married between age twenty-three and twenty-five.
1.00 Mother said - 'Get your education, get a job, get a house, and then we'll think about marriage'.
1.34 'My sister's twenty-three now, so she'll get married in the next two years. It’s inevitable'.
Not wanting to marry a Pakistani. Wanting to marry someone who has been educated well and can speak English.
ENDS |