Racism in Housing: Blacklining

MUZAFFAR Yousaf fully expected to encounter racism when he arrived in Glasgow with his mother in 1964.

"I am the first to admit that when you are a minority you have to accept some sort of discrimination," said the softly-spoken accountant who came to live with his father, who had emigrated from Pakistan two years before.

"But depending on how much you can take, there comes a time when you have to say enough is enough."

The 42-year-old son of a factory worker and his wife Shaaisda believed that time had come in July 1994 when they asked an estate agent if they could view a house in Newton Mearns, an area in which they had already made their home.

The tidy £ 95,000 house in Morar Place looked as if it might be ideal for the couple and their three children and so Mrs Yousaf, 39, called the Robb Agency for an appointment.

But instead of being given a time and date, they were told that, at that time, it was impossible to set up an appointment.

"I felt quite uneasy and suspected that she wasn't telling the truth," Mrs Yousaf said.

It was not only the conduct of the agency employee and the subsequent responses which Asian and non-Asian friends got when they sought a viewing which made the couple suspicious. Earlier that year, they also experienced what they had believed to be discrimination when they tried to view another Newton Mearns home.

On that occasion, a woman slammed the door in their faces after telling them it was no longer for sale, even though "for sale" signs remained and an estate agent continued to list the property as available.

Last night, Mrs Yousaf, who was devastated by the judge's findings, said: "It hurt our feelings a lot. You feel as if you are not worthy, that there is something wrong with you."

Mr Yousaf said he would consider lodging an appeal with the Court of Session.

Robina Qureshi, the director of Positive Action in Housing, which fights for better access for ethnic minorities to Scottish housing, claimed the practice of "blacklining"* was common, even though the sheriff found it had not happened in the Yousaf case. "We have documented cases where people have had doors slammed shut in their faces when white sellers saw the colour of the prospective buyers," she said. 

Martin Verity, a senior Scottish officer at the Commission for Racial Equality, said few "blacklining" cases went though the courts as most victims did not realise they had been discriminated against.

*Blacklining refers to the practice of discriminating against individuals or communities based on their race or ethnicity in the housing market. It involves denying individuals or families of certain racial or ethnic backgrounds access to housing options or treating them unfairly during the buying or renting process. This discriminatory practice can manifest in various ways, such as refusing to show properties, providing false information, or engaging in biased practices that hinder certain groups from obtaining housing opportunities. Blacklining is a form of racial discrimination that violates equal housing rights and perpetuates social and economic disparities.