From India to Pakistan, from Pakistan to the UK, Saleem's family joined in the waves of Muslim immigration, or to put it in a sentimental way, her family was forced to the choose a path that in anyone's circumstances people had to choose: earning a living in a distant capitalist country.

 

"It was unfair to them (Saleem's grandparents)", even now Saleem was still emotional about the Partition of India. It is not only about the split of a nation and people, but something that lingers in family memories and will be passed down to the next generation.

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"Many Pakistani people then decided to find jobs in America, some went to the UK. And my grandpa came to the UK first. When he got a job and settled down, my grandma also came. They moved to different cities before they finally settled down in Manchester. For me, my brother and sisters, Manchester is our home." However, it is interesting that Saleem still refers Pakistan as her "country" even though she has never lived there. "I want to know the culture of my country. Yeah, I feel strange when I say that's my country because I'm a Mancunian. I sometimes ask myself: 'why can't I speak my own language?' It feels especially odd when I went back to Pakistan to visit my grandparents' relatives. All the people are speaking Punjabi but I'm excluded. I'm excluded by my own language."

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"I've asked my dad why he never taught me Punjabi but he never really told. I'm guessing he wanted his children to be more integrated into British society so that our life is easier. Well, for Muslim girls who go to Islamic schools, it is just cruel of people to call us 'penguins' because we wear hijab and black dresses as school uniforms. It might sound funny but it was very unpleasant. Now I feel that more and more young girls can enjoy the freedom of following our traditions. It's pretty flexible in my family and I don't need to wear hijab and just wear American-style jeans. Even if many girls, as I know, don't need to wear hijab, they still choose to cause it has evolved into some kind of fashion, which is pretty cool."

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