'As I brushed my light blonde hair, I looked up at my mum, Shameem, now 65, with tears in my eyes. Another child had shouted a racial slur at me in the street, and the bullying was really starting to affect my self-esteem.
"Just ignore them," my mum soothed. "Their comments should go in one ear, and out the other. Don't take it to heart and don't argue back, you'll only make things worse."
The older I got, the harder it became to stay quiet when vile abuse was hurled at me and my family. Growing up in Coventry, West Midlands, in the 1980s, I'd always felt different. Not only did my family and I face discrimination for being Asian - we were also the only family with albinism.
Albinism is an inherited condition that causes someone to have less melanin than usual and therefore have very light skin, hair, and eyes. We're a big family - I'm the eldest and I have five younger siblings, Ghulam, 40, Haider, 38, Muqadas, 36, Musarat, 30, and Mohammed 27. All six of us, and my parents, Aslam, 64, and Shameem, 65, have albinism. My mother's sister, my father's brother, and some of my cousins also have the condition. It means our hair is very light blonde or white and our skin tone is incredibly fair compared to some of our other Asian relatives.
In the UK, approximately one in 17,000 people have albinism. Being the only albino family when I was growing up was always incredibly tough.
We weren't accepted anywhere English people would shout abuse at us, and we were discriminated against for being different by the Asian community at the mosque. I was struggling to know my place in the world - I didn't fit in anywhere and it was affecting my identity and self-worth.
この記事は New UK の June 13, 2022 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は New UK の June 13, 2022 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
A STICKY SITUATION
Actors Chris Diamantopoulos and Guillaume Cyr bond with Margo Martindale and get beaten up by Jamie Lee Curtis in a riotous new comedy drama series
THIS IS CHRISTMAS ACTUALLY
Love Actually writer and director Richard Curtis gifts the world a new festive film this year
LEARN HOW TO PLEASE YOURSELF
The festive season can be an incredibly stressful time, particularly for peoplepleasers who struggle to put their own needs first
Caught on dashcam injecting her ex with fatal dose of 'poison"
Amanda Hovanec enlisted her lover and her mother in her cold-blooded plot
'I looked better getting married at 53 than I did at 23!'
Wellbeing coach Sarah-Jane Clark, from Swindon, shares how she achieved her dream of wearing a size 10 wedding dress after losing 12st
'I am so looking forward to Christmas'
Helen Flanagan shares her plans for the holidays with her new boyfriend Robbie Talbot and her kids
I'm turning the anger into positive energy
His best friend's death has made Gok Wan rethink life
‘I'm careful with who I allow in my inner circle
Actress and presenter Kéllé Bryan on managing fame and fronting a new fashion initiative
'There were rats..it is a real jungle
Marvin Humes on his I'm A Celebrity experience, backing his buddies and the importance of kindness
'It's not going to be sexy Maura on I'm A Celeb'
Model Caprice Bourret tells new about her festive traditions and starring in and producing a Christmas film