Greek Armenian a Candidate for Racist UK Party.
I picked up the paper on Saturday, this made front page news in the UK - there was a huge picture of the guy also, but I couldn’t find it. It’s a Greek Armenian who is standing for the an extreme Racist political party - BNP, as head of a constituency in Bradford, a heavily Asian populated region in Britain.
The British National party was riven last night over its decision to select the grandson of an asylum seeker to fight a seat in next month’s local elections.
Sharif Abdel Gawad, whom the BNP describes as a “totally assimilated Greek-Armenian”, was chosen to stand in a Bradford ward as part of the party’s biggest ever electoral push.
The BNP is rapidly growing in Britain but still remains tiny in comparison to other parties. They claim not to be racist but the fact that they wouldn’t accept this guy as a party leader calling him “ethnic” simply proves their attitude.
What is worrying is that the article states that Sharif Abdul Gawad ( named by his mother because of her love for actor Omar Sharif) is actually a Christian Armenian, who’s grandfather came to the UK as a refugee. I cannot find the reason why he would come as a refugee, but it would make sense that he came around the time of the Genocide. To see someone whose ancestors have suffered at the hands of Racism, now stand for this extremely Racist political party is a shame.
I still don’t see how he can be a Greek-Armenian. You’ve explained why he’s named Sharif, but what about Abdul and Gawad? Both seem to be Arab names to be, but another article said one parent was Greek and one was Armenian. Why would a Greek-Armenian have three Arab names? While the first two don’t rule him out as being Armenian or Greek, the last name also being Arab just seems a bit suspicious.
Comment by Paul — 4/13/2006 @ 6:24 am
I agree with you Paul, but the article also stated his Grandfather was Armenian .. I found it hard to believe also - unless this is a fabrication by the BNP ,I’m really not sure - although the Guardian is usually a really reliable source
Comment by Harmick — 4/13/2006 @ 3:13 pm
I am a 23 year old woman from Canada. Born in Canada from a German father and a Swedish mother, I always consider my self part of the multicultural immigrant group, even though it’s very easy for me to pass for a native Canadian. I prefer to be around people who come from other ethnicity than mine, who speak different languages and it’s even better for me if their skin color is different than mine because I love difference. I enjoy trying new ethnic restaurant and eat something new each time. I had friends from Africa, china and Latin America and they were all from different race.
It was wonderful and I tough that everybody were like me to enjoy the beauty of our difference and learn the charm of rainbow color of the world. Then I meet a dark hair and tanned Armenian guy, he was sexy, good looking even tough I like to make fun of he’s funny big crescent nose. He tells me that he lived in Lebanon and them he moved to Australia before immigrating here in Canada. Everything was wonderful until I decided to introduce to my black friend Jessica.
When we left Jessica, he starts to be angry at me and tell me that a white person like me shouldn’t have (N word) as friend. I couldn’t understand why he was so negative about other races because after all, he’s skin was dark like a Mexican, and for me he wasn’t white either. When I tell him that he got even angrier because it hurt him that I consider him as non-white. He hit me in my face and he start to tell me about all sort of nonsense story about the history of he’s country. He says that Armenia was founded by Aryans warrior and Armenia is the base of western Christian civilization and all sort of bulls I wasn’t interested.
That was the last time I see this guy, and I tough I was unlucky to fall on the wrong individual until I met a very nice young Armenian girl name Nairi. When I explain this to Nari she understood very quickly and she tells me that Armenian culture is in general very racist. The young generation of Armenian born in Canada can be different but the old one, it is hard to change them.
Comment by Johansen Vanderloot — 4/26/2006 @ 7:17 am
To the above. this aryan nonsense is crazy-not mention a lie on account of familial meditteranean fever! check this out: in russia , armenians are considered to be colored, but we have our sell-outs there who try to differentiate themselves from ‘chyurnie lyudie” …and you find this weird aryan stuff coming from south asians too,,, but in britain are considered “non-white”
this is my point: just because you run into a few sad souls who suffer from internalized racism ( or what is called “uncle tom’s” in the black american community or apples by first nations) or let themselves be tokens of racist groups doesn’t change our collective identity. same as the one black man who joined the kkk. weird but true.
internalized racism is everywhere, but it doesn;t change the reality of power relations and identity on the ground.
Comment by some hyes are sellouts — 5/5/2006 @ 7:32 am
Johansen, I am sorry that you had a bad experience , but I hope that you can put this to the back of your mind and rest assured that Armenians are not all like this.
I will admit that Armenians are inherently racist, perhaps not in a malicious sense, but more through their expression of pride in themselves. We always like to consider ourselves “different” ( usually in a better way!). When people ask me why this is so, I usually answer that it is for this reason that we managed to remain united, keep our language, our culture and our general existence - whilst those around us wanted us destroyed.
Now no one really wants to destroy us, we have an independent republic , nothing more to prove, and its time to start correcting those issues that have plagued us for many years.
I am sorry for your experience.Harmick
Comment by Harmick — 5/8/2006 @ 2:21 am
Who the hell are you to tell that Armenians are not white? Because we don’t look like Norwegians? Sure we don’t look like them, but…What is white? It’s not justa color of the skin, it’s also culture, history of thousand years. I’am that kind of guy you were talking about above, YES! I’AM A RACIALLY CONCIOUS ARMENIAN, I live in Armenia. Come and live under Armenian sun for 100 generations and we’ll see how white you look. Most of you are brainwashed citizens of Zion, you only care about earning as much money as possible, you care only about having sex with as many people as it’s possible, you never care about HIGHER staff, your life is your money, your job, and your pet. Has any of you seen me? Can any of you say I’am not looking white? You hate racists because you know that we’re right, you are the next generation that’s dead…
I’AM ONLY 21 YEARS OLD, can you say I’am from older generation?
Comment by Hovhannes Khachatryan — 5/27/2006 @ 9:57 pm
The article and the comments i read prove how wrong it is to judge people’s actions and reaction’s based on some nationalistic mythology. None of us is characterized by his origin but rather by his or her deeds that are result of education and social influences. Why would Greeks or Armenians or Arabs feel ashamed for the deeds of one person or why would one person feels proud and feels he or she deserves a credit for great things that people leaving in the same land did in the distant or recent past. I have to admit that i dont find any Greek note in this person’s profile but this is besides the point. Reading the last comment am more than confident that nationalism and religion were ment to divide people and make them hate each other and am glad that am neither of them( nationalistic nor religious). The article is interesting and maybe has some elements of truth in it.
Comment by Stavros Hadzistavros — 5/30/2006 @ 3:56 pm
The last comment reminds me of something-even 70 years of Soviet propaganda cannot kill the nationalists feellings most people have, it’s just part of human nature. Of course one should look at a person’s deeds, but it’s crap to think that nationalistic feelings are enforced from the outside. I can remember from my younger years I could see differences very well between different ethnic groups AND different characters. Why deny the obvious? Being proud of your own background is the best basis for constructive living with others. People who think differences per definition are good or bad are only looking at one side of the coin. Nowadays we are educated to love as many differences as possible as the highest ideal, but even poster-card nations of multicultural integration like Brazil are full of violence and poverty-besides great beaches samba- and and make US cities look like a the most safe placest on earth. So make up your own mind, everyone is an individual but also part of his own family and community history.
Comment by Mikhail — 10/8/2006 @ 11:36 pm
I used to hang out with him until he became a fascist but I know for a fact that his immediate family is egyptian. Can make no comment as to whether he has greek or armenian ancestry too, of course.
Comment by john mctaggert ellis mctaggert — 11/19/2006 @ 2:05 am
WOW YOU ALL ARE SO DUMB! DO YOU NOT KNOW THAT THE WORLD AR YAN COMES FROM OUR PEOPLE , AR BEING OUR GOD THE CREATOR “AR AR ICH” THIS IS THE REASON WHY THE PEOPLE OF AR BECAME KNOWN AS AR MENS , REAL ARMENIANS ARE 100% WHITE AND PROUD AFTERALL EVEN THE WORD CAUCASIAN COMES FROM OUR REGION OF THE WORLD
PLEASE WAKE UP AND EDUCATE YOURSELVES
Comment by AR ARYAN — 4/21/2007 @ 7:21 pm