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Mohammed
graduated from Royal Holloway College (University of London) with
an honours degree in Physics and is now a member of the IT support
staff at a software company in Cheltenham.
He
has been a youth worker with Gloucestershire County Council's Youth
Service - a role that included enhancing the confidence of young
people with outdoor adventure activities and fun sports.
Why
would young men and their families travel far from home to a
strange land, away from friends and family and reside in a strange
culture? Yes, there are economic reasons but it was still a
sacrifice.  |
| Our
Untold Stories |
Mohammed
has travelled to several Middle Eastern and European countries on
his own and with friends. He was personally acquainted with two
of the interviewees, Mr Surty and his close friend Mehmoud Patel.
Colleagues
at Gloucestershire Social Services introduced an enthusiastic Mr
Mohamed Sharif, who wholeheartedly supported the ethnic history
project. Sadly Mr
Sharif has passed away since the interview.
All
project members were selected for their particular ethnic and cultural
backgrounds. A suitable background would allow for easier rapport
with prospective interviewees.
Mohammed's
parents bequeathed the language and cultural sensibilities particular
to a Muslim Indian society. Therefore, Mohammed as the interviewer,
is an ethnic Indian whose first language is English and whose religious
belief is of Arab origin.
The
project aims to address important questions purely from a personal
perspective. Why would young men and their families travel far from
home to a strange land, away from friends and family and reside
in a strange culture? Yes, there are economic reasons but it was
still a sacrifice.
The
ethnic history projects seeks, in a modest way, to record the narratives
of a few of these migrants. Their stories may surprise you.
There
is a wealth of detail, not just of their countries of origin, but
of England itself, as the participants recall their memories, to
paint a fresh view of England.
»
See 'The Gujarati Muslim Community'
»
See 'The Pakistani Community'
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