After the Bradford riots, rather than listening to the concerns of the youth, Labour MP, Anne Cryer, has further enflamed the situation by stating that Asians are “importing poverty” with the Bangladeshi and Pakistani practise of marrying spouses from abroad. “Why do we let them in when they can’t even speak English?” she cries!

I wasn’t aware that the ability to speak English was a condition for entering the UK? And the majority of immigrants especially women, attend colleges to learn English very quickly! If not their children will--why should this be a problem? Does Ann Cryer speak fluent Bengali or Urdu? Maybe if she could she would understand the concerns that the Asian community have over being stereotyped this way.

In Glasgow inter-racial marriage is now common place among well integrated immigrants from Pakistan, where Glaswegians are happy to adopt the culture and religious customs of their husbands or wives. And in turn Pakistanis born there, for generations, are proud to be ‘Scottish-Asians.’

Due to this fabricated “immigration problem” politicians now feel they have the right to use overtly racist and insulting language. Are there not Race Laws in this country which forbid or prevent this type of derogatory outburst? Imagine how humiliating this must be to Asian families in our communities.

My children are mixed-race and many of their friends, and mine, are Indians, so I personally take offence to Ann Cryer’s bigotry.