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Balti
Going for a Balti is as common as going for
fish and chips in Birmingham. Balti is actually
a dish very similar to a wok in which a Balti
curry is made and served. Originally, and from
a Birmingham perspective, it comes from the Sparkhill
and Sparkbrook Asian community but is now found
all over the West Midlands and is very popular
as are the many Asian restaurants.
Asian
Population
The make up of the Asian community as a percentage
of population is Pakistani 66,085 (6.9%), Indian
51,075 (5.3%) and Bangladeshi 12,739 (1.3%).
Asian
Community
From around the 1960's large numbers of immigrants
started to arrive in the UK from Asia. Typically
single men seeking work and later bringing their
families across once they had established themselves.
Many became shopkeepers and traders and this is
very apparent today. Whilst travelling through
Birmingham you cannot help but notice the Asian
shops with their distinctive clothing, cuisine
and products on display. Generally hard working
and living predominantly in the Sparkhill,
Sparkbrook and Handsworth areas of the city, the Halal meat signs, mosques
and temples have had a profound effect on the
city of Birmingham.
Often
accused of not integrating fully with the white
community and having the language barriers associated
with residing in a foreign country the Asian community
has strived to achieve acceptance without losing
their cultural and social values. Asian parents
look to the younger generation to achieve academic
excellence and aspire to their children becoming
Doctors, businessmen, lawyers or achieving positions
of status.
Sikhism
A progressive religion well ahead of its time
when it was founded over 500 years ago, The Sikh
religion today has a following of over 20 million
people worldwide and is ranked as the worlds 5th
largest religion. Sikhism preaches a message of
devotion and remembrance of God at all times,
truthful living, equality of mankind and denounces
superstitions and blind rituals. Sikhism is open
to all through the teachings of its 10 Gurus enshrined
in the Sikh Holy Book and Living Guru, Sri Guru
Granth Sahib.
Hinduism
Statistically, there are over 700 million Hindus,
mainly in Bharat (India), and Nepal. Hinduism
is referred to as Sanatana Dharma, the eternal
faith. Hinduism is not strictly a religion. It
is based on the practice of Dharma, the code of
life. Since Hinduism has no founder, anyone who
practices Dharma can call himself a Hindu. He
can question the authority of any scripture, or
even the existence of the Divine. The following
article is based on my limited understanding.
While religion means to bind, Dharma means to
hold. What man holds on to is his inner law, which
leads from ignorance to Truth. Though reading
of the scriptures (shastras) would not directly
lead you to self-realization, the teachings of
the seers provide a basis and a path for spirituality.
Despite being the oldest religion, the truth realized
by the seers prove that the Truth and path provided
by Hinduism is beyond time.
Islam
With recent terrorist events and publicity Islam
has had a bad time. However, there are fanatics
in any religion and Islam is a peaceful religion
which is tolerant, law abiding and clear in its
path. The following words explain......
With Islam God completed the religion He revealed
and chose for mankind. Literally, Islam means
‘submission, peace and salvation’. In its most
essential or fundamental aspect, Islam is epitomized
in the most frequently recited of all Quranic
phrases, the Basmala — In the name of God, the
Merciful (al-Rahman), the Compassionate (al-Rahim).
Both words are related to the quality of rahma,
meaning mercy and compassion. God manifests Himself
essentially through His absolute, all-inclusive
Mercy and Compassion, and Islam is founded upon
that affirmation. The mission of the Prophet Muhammad,
with whom God sent Islam to mankind, is called
in the Quran "a mercy for all the worlds", for
the whole of creation.
Krishna Devi has put some information together
about Asian Festivals, Clothes and Food. click
here for more info
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