Urdu in the United Kingdom

History Britain's Anglophone tradition and inheritance centralises English as the national lingua and vernacular. Radical opportunities exist, however, for the productive growth of minority Commonwealth migrant languages such as Urdu and Punjabi, particularly in curriculum-based education, and many Urdu literary societies exist in the UK, The history of Urdu in British Education can be traced to as early as the 1800s when, under one of its old names, Hindustani, For this reason, the East India Company founded the Oriental Institute in London, in 1816. England and Wales In 1841, a grammar school in Gloucester began teaching Urdu to British children, which entailed other institutions to follow, such as the University College, London, followed by the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge by 1859. which is examined by the AQA and Edexcel exam-board, and in 2015, Manchester Metropolitan University became the first university in the UK to offer an Urdu degree. Around 5,000 students in England take Urdu as a GCSE subject every year, and as per Ofqual, in 2024, 4,370 students certified in GCSE Urdu, an increase of 5% from the year before. Scotland Urdu became the first non-European language which was recognised at a Higher level, back in 2006, when the SQA (Scottish Qualifications Authority) incorporated Urdu as a Higher subject for the first time. In 2022, 90 students partook an Urdu exam at Higher level. ==Media==

Periodicals 1880s-1920s , the poet first believed to have coined the name "Urdu" around 1780 AD for a language that went by a multiplicity of names before his time. One of the earliest Urdu periodicals in the UK was established in London during the 1880-90s, and was known as the Ainah-e-Angrezi Saudagri () – Mirror of British Merchandise and, undoubtedly, it revolved mainly around trade relations with the Raj. Following this, Urdu periodicals transpired during the First World War, when the Urdu press was established by the British government during the 1910s, when publications like Jangi Akhbar (the War Journal) emerged, shortly after Urdu captions being discontinued from the pictorial newspaper Al-Haqiqah – the Truth. Similar newspapers, like the (Fauji Akhbar – the Military Newspaper) also existed in London. The Daily Al-Fazl, run by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, which started in Qadian, India, launched its weekly international service in 1994. Since 2015, Al-Fazl has shifted to Tilford, Surrey where it is published from. Other newspapers like the Daily Jang continue to operate a London Edition, which can be obtained from libraries. Digital Media Television BBC Urdu Service, part of the BBC News network, is based in London and covers relevant news in the Urdu language, typically aimed towards middle-class Urdu speakers. It serves as a bridge for the Pakistani diaspora and certain parts of the Indian diaspora in the UK. In 2024, the Easter Sunday service at the Canterbury Cathedral, which was broadcast by the BBC included a segment in which the Lord's Prayer was led in Urdu, along with subtitles in English. Other renowned Urdu television stations, usually based in Pakistan, such as PTV and ARY Digital are also typically broadcast on the Sky platform, while some Pakistani Urdu dramas are also broadcast on Indian channels like Zee Entertainment. Radio The BBC Urdu service began its radio service back in 1940, when it was known as 'BBC Hindustani', launched to mitigate wartime misinformation. Following the Partition of India, it was renamed to 'BBC Urdu', and continued until 2022 after which it was discontinued. Many other radio stations in Urdu are broadcast throughout the UK. A rugby match featuring the Huddersfield Giants was broadcast on a local station with Urdu commentary. == Geographic distribution ==

The largest Urdu-speaking communities in the UK are predominantly found in Northern England. Urdu is the most spoken language, after English, in cities like Manchester, where in certain areas like Rusholme, Longsight and Cheetham Hill, signs and posters in Urdu are a common sight, and often used to promote businesses and products. London and Bradford are considered two major Urdu centres, among cities like Islamabad, Karachi and Lahore. ==Politics==

Queen Victoria was taught to write Urdu after requesting her servant Abdul Karim, who had arrived in England to deliver a seal mark celebrating the Queen's Golden Jubilee. She began learning in 1887, and also began keeping a diary written in Urdu, which she called her Hindustani Journal, totalling 13 volumes altogether. When Pakistani-origin Scottish MSP Bashir Ahmad was elected to the Scottish parliament in 2007, he took his oath in both English and Urdu. Similarly, the ex-First Minister of Scotland, Humza Yousaf, also took his oath in Urdu when he became an MP in 2016. ==See also==