On New Year’s Day and the Queen’s Birthday, the London Gazette publishes honours lists detailing who will receive orders and decorations bestowed by the Monarch. This semi-annual tradition recognises some of the country’s best and brightest, in areas including charity, science, politics, business and entertainment. In recent years, this diversity of sectors has been matched by an increasingly diverse group of recipients.
The number of honours conferred on people from minority ethnic backgrounds has been steadily increasing over the past few years. The 2014 Birthday Honours list only recognised 75 BAME Britons, yet the 2020 list includes nearly 200. In terms of proportions, minorities represented 6.5% of recipients in 2014, rising to 14% in 2020. Some awards have an even higher percentage of BAME recipients, with a fifth of recent MBEs recognising minority achievements. These figures reflect the UK Government’s commitment to making honours lists more reflective of the population. Ensuring equality of representation is one of the primary responsibilities of the Honours and Appointments Secretariat who oversee the process.
As well as celebrating the ethnic diversity of the UK, honours lists recognise achievements from all four nations, with each list usually containing over a hundred Scottish recipients. Commenting on this year’s Birthday Honours list, Scottish Secretary Alister Jack said: “Today we celebrate the people who are the mainstays of communities across Scotland, selflessly giving back to those around them through their work and their personal lives.”
BAME Scots who made it onto this year’s list include Glasgow based chemist Asgher Mohammed, who received an MBE for services to pharmacy as well as his charity work. Parveen Sajid received a BEM for her charity work in Glasgow and with children in Lebanon. Husband and wife Ghulam Farid and Shagufta Shamim both received MBEs for their community work in Grangemouth. During the pandemic, they went the extra mile to ensure customers at their local newsagents had everything they needed despite the couple’s poor health and old age.
Scottish Conservative Friends of BAME (SCBAME) contacted several previous recipients to ask how they felt about receiving an award. Head of PG Paper Company Ltd. Poonam Gupta OBE said: “I was really honoured and delighted to have received the unexpected honour for the work that I have done for the community and business in general.
Generally speaking, the BAME community has always made its contribution in many fields. Such acknowledgement brings inspiration to the community as a whole.”
Renfrew based hotelier and philanthropist, Parminder Purewal BEM said: “No-one had contacted me previously and it came out of the blue, but once I realised it was genuine, I could not have been more delighted or thrilled.”
President of Central Gurdwara Singh Sabha, Glasgow. Surjit Chowdhary MBE said: “Receiving this honour from Her Majesty, the Queen, filled me with a sense of pride and justice. As a child, I had been made a refugee through the actions of the British Empire when partitioning India. This nation has come to love the Sikh community, who have contributed through selfless service in every corner of British society. At a time where the contribution of immigrant communities has come into question, I hope my work and subsequent recognition will serve as a sign of the fairness of modern Britain.”
SCBAME’s very own ambassador, Baroness Nosheena Mobarik CBE, received an honour for services to business, as well as her philanthropy and promotion of human rights around the world. She spent many years working with the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and served a two-year term as the Chairman of CBI Scotland from 2011-2013. Nosheena was awarded an OBE in 2004 for services to business. In 2014, she was awarded the CBE for her public service in Scotland.
On the whole, increasingly diverse honours lists show just how keen the Government is to represent all sections of British society. Scottish nationalists like to characterise ancient British institutions, like the honours system, as archaic, elitist and out of place in modern society. However, this could not be further from the truth. During difficult times, such as the current pandemic, we must recognise and commend the extraordinary efforts and selflessness of community members from all background.