New archive footage, first broadcast on 23 November 1990, highlights the prominence of Muslim culture in Bradford and gives a view into the life of the Mahmood family, who share their experience of growing up Muslim in the city.
The short clip gives an overview of the normal life of the family, and focuses in upon the children who have grown up in Britain as Muslims. We see as each child from a different age group discusses how they feel about their religion and their culture, and positively represent what it means to be British, Muslim and proud.
‘We fit in with our own culture and we fit in with the Western culture, as well,” states one of the children.
The footage then shows the children at school at Grange Upper School, now Co-op Academy Grange, in South Bradford. Back in the 90s, the clip tells us that 80 percent of the pupils were Muslim. We are told that “the school encourages to stay in touch with their cultural heritage”. The school still upholds similar values to this day and their vision and values state that they want student to “feel part of a socially cohesive community where everyone’s contribution is valued and difference is celebrated”.
Speaking about the importance of their religion as part of their education, the eldest Mahmood daughter, Rizwana, says, “[My religion] gives me a lot of confidence. Any time I have any assessments coming up, any exams, anything like that, I turn to religion. I always turn to religion.”
The footage is part of the BBC’s archive project which will show content produced in and around Yorkshire over the past decades. The short clips will contain footage demonstrating significant points in Yorkshire’s history.
You can check out the clip below and make sure to keep an eye out for more archive footage to follow.
