Keep an eye on the vulnerable during Ramadan As many British Muslims begin to plan for a month of fasting whilst they endure, reflect and build solidarity among fellow Muslim men and women, it is also a time to reflect on what has impacted this community in recent years and protect the most vulnerable moving forward.  Having grown up in a Muslim family, I can imagine many Muslims are beginning to prepare psychologically for a change in their routine where they refrain from eating and drinking between dawn and nightfall. As they break their fast they are going to consume extra sugar content. The weather condition this year is a blessing due to shorter days and chilled temperatures. A few years ago one of my colleagues had to break his fast due to dehydration and exhaustion on an unbearable hot summer's day. Extreme heat can be a threat to many people’s lives. This is particularly the case when there are underlying health conditions and those who are elderly. Living conditions &

A local campaigner encourages community vaccination. Onupom Rahman, who  gave up being an Uber driver because he could not survive on nil income during the pandemic, is now working as vaccination worker in the East End of London to get his community members vaccinated and save lives.  Onupum lost two aunts to Covid-19. He  also felt insecure about working as Uber driver because passengers who he was  serving may be carrier of Covid-19. He then completely abandoned the trade as he was getting no income. Once Covid-19 vaccination was  underway, Onupom quickly joined Tower Hamlets Council's vaccination team to make sure he was saving lives of his community members. He is BritBanglaCovid's hero!

The British government published Covid-19 Disparities Report on 3 December 2021.  It states the following:  'The Bangladeshi group was the only ethnic group...the highest rate of vaccine uptake at 91.7%' If you remember that  during the first wave of the pandemic, Black African and Caribbean communities working in health and social were affected due to their occupational risk.  During the second wave Bangladeshi and Pakistani groups were high risk because they were more likely than others to live in multi-generational houses. We must celebrate such a vaccination among Bangladesh is in London. 

Obie Matin was shunned for marrying a white man. Yet, she cared for her parents to their last moment.  BENGALI CULTURE & A NAME Obie Matin’s full name is a little bit complicated she says. In Bengali culture, people would know her by her nickname: Obie. But her  formal name  is actually Lubjana Matin. Nobody  calls her Lubjana except during graduation or in any formal occasions.  Everyone calls her by her nickname. There is complete separation between formal and informal life in Bengali culture. UPBRINGING AND RENT FREE ACCOMMODATION Obie was born was born in Britain.  When she was born there was seven years gap between Obie and her older sibling.  ‘I feel privileged of how I grew up, even though we never owned it. It was a massive house with a basement, a Victorian attic, beautiful house. And the terms and conditions were that my dad would have that home rent free, which is one part of the house for lodgings if he oversaw the rest of the property. So dad was fixing it up looking o

Julie Begum talks about her East End upbringing, passion for education  and campaign to vaccinate everyone. EAST END UPBRINGING She was born in the Mile End Hospital in 1968 when her parents were living in a temporary accommodation in Tower Hamlets. Her brother was born 18 months after. They were given a council flat in Globe Town, Bethnal Green, London. She remembers that:   ‘We live in a block of flats, with a lot of other working class people…   I think there was only one other Bengali family on the estate at the time. And a black family and majority was white. And there was one mixed race family…To be honest, the only safe place was at home. We heard about people being attacked in their homes by racists. So it was, I would say a climate of fear really for a lot of Bengalis at that time. My father was bottled and attacked.’ There was a difference in response between younger and older generation within the Bengali Community from Julie's account. ‘Young men…decided to fight back a

Due to the severity of Covid-19 amongst Bangladeshi communities in Britain, BritBanglaCovid has organised Health & Social Care Crisis Public Meeting on 23 August 2020 at 3pm.  You can hear from doctors,  care worker, carer and domestic violence sufferer and many more! Have your say on the subject matter in order for our government, councils and community activists to take action.  If you want to take part in the event, you must register on EventBrite and have your say. This is urgent! https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/health-social-care-crisis-for-britbangla-tickets-115043678740

Shajida Ali lost her sister and brother-in-law to Covid. She feels anxious when people don't comply social distancing guidelines. EARLY LIFE OF SHAJIDA Shajida Ali's father came to the United Kingdom (UK) in 1962. When she was 7 months old, Shajida,  her mother and two brothers came to the UK in 1982. Three of her sisters remained in Bangladesh who were already married off. When they came to the UK they, at first, stayed in the East End. Later they moved to Berkshire for a year but she says: ‘My mum had to move back because there were no Bengalis and there was no community. We could not live like that; so we moved back to east London. I have been living in east London since then.’ Although Shajida has been living all her life in the UK, she goes back to Bangladesh to see her siblings. Her brothers talked about racism and being attacked when she was young. She remembers Canon Street Park where she played during her childhood. ‘Most of our neighbours were Bangladeshi. Even to thi

EARLY LIFE Ima Miah came to the UK as a toddler. She was brought up in a typical Bangladeshi family. She was one of six children. ‘My father was here (in the UK) from the 1960s. My village gran parents were the early cohort of people coming over. My family has been deep rooted for many many decades,’ she explains. When they joined their father in the UK, they first lived in a tiny restaurant in Crystal Palace, South London. Eventually, they lived in a house in Beckenham. She lived in the area for   over 30 years.   ‘I do remember living in a very white community compared to my cousins who lived in Camden and East End…We would have weekly trips into town where my dad would make it absolute priority to go every week at some point in one of the relative's houses. This is how I was able to learn about Bangladeshi culture’. ‘I remember going pass   East End and being quite tearful because I felt I’ve gone back to Bangladesh. I’ve never seen so many brown faces! Living in a town like Bec