HONG KONG — Ameer Hussain, a 33-year-old Pakistani who has been living in Hong Kong for 15 years, still feels isolated from the local community and yearns for his native land even if he is successful in his own business which brings him more money in Hong Kong. Although facing difficulties in integrating into the society, he has decided to keep living here in consideration of his three children who can receive better education.
Hussain said he had encountered many cold and detached Hong Kong people. “They always talk about money. If you have money, they like you, otherwise they have no interest in you,” said Hussain. When he was a newcomer, the situation was worse. The local people ignored him and didn’t show any respect for him. Because of lacking communication, he got through a tough time when starting his own business.
Hussain is running a custom tailor shop named Prince Fashion with his brother in Tsim Sha Tsui. Most of his customers are foreigners. Very few Hong Kong people would like to come to his shop. At the first three years, he didn’t have any local friends. Although he has known some Hong Kong people now, they are just business partners. Hussain thinks the local people still discriminate against him.
Before coming to Hong Kong, Hussain has already mastered several foreign languages. He did well in his studying. However, he gave up the opportunity of going to a university because he didn’t want his family to shoulder more burdens. Due to his own regretful experience, he works hard to avoid his children getting into the same trouble. It is an important reason why he still decided to stay in Hong Kong when experiencing so many unhappy things.
Hussain came to Hong Kong in 1997 because most of his family members had moved to Hong Kong and he believed that Hong Kong was more stable for making more money. He followed them and started a business handed down from the older generations of the family. His business got along very well in Hong Kong in early years. However, owing to the recent increase of prices and rent, Hussain said his monthly earning could only enough to maintain his family’s normal life, no more and no less.
The government carried out a large census of ethnic minorities in Hong Kong in 2006. The census stated that there were 11,111 Pakistanis in Hong Kong, accounting for 0.2% of the total Hong Kong population. 33.1% of males were working in “Elementary occupations” such as porters, construction site workers while 42.5% of females were “Clerks/Service workers and shop sales workers”. It is difficult for Pakistanis to get jobs in Hong Kong mostly because of language. Besides, education levels, their identity as Pakistani, cultural and religious difference were also obstacles.
