On the south side of Glasgow, in the heartland of Scotland’s Asian community, support for independence from United Kingdom is strong as Thursday’s referendum nears.
Colorful displays of Yes posters outnumber those backing the Better Together campaign. Talk on the street is of opportunity and a chance to create a fairer country more welcoming to immigrants.
Glasgow is Scotland’s largest city, and its most ethnically diverse. Over the last 60 years an influx of Indians, Pakistanis, Bengalis, Chinese, Italians, Poles and others have created new communities which, because of their relative small size, have had to merge with the culture of their adopted country.
Across Scotland, there are some 140,000 people who class themselves as Asian Scots, along with around 30,000 Africans, 7,000 from the Caribbean, 55,000 Poles and over 160,000 other non-British EU Citizens eligible to vote in the landmark referendum. These “New Scots” represent more than 4% of the population and with the polls putting both sides of the debate neck-and-neck just days before the September 18 vote, their views could be critical.
Alyas Hamidi, 21, was born in Glasgow and regards himself first and foremost as a Glaswegian. In public, with his friends, he is a Scot but at home — where English is rarely spoken with his parents and grandparents — he is Iranian. He identifies with both places — and wants his adopted homeland to embrace independence.
“I was the only Iranian boy in my class and apart from a few rude comments over the years I’ve never felt my background was a problem for anyone,” he said. “I’m proud to be Scottish. I’ll be voting yes.”
Research by the Center on Dynamics of Ethnicity recently found that minority groups in Scotland are more likely to claim a Scottish identity when compared to minority groups in England deciding whether to choose an English identity. Overall 94% of those from ethnic communities born in Scotland identify as being Scottish rather than British — likely giving independence forces a boost.
