WHAT BRITISH MUSLIMS THINK - RESPONDING TO THE CHALLENGE!

It really is the case that Britain, probably largely as a result of her historically liberal tendencies, and her colonial heritage, which includes her having colonised people of many ethnic and national origins, has been a very tolerant country towards immigrants from diverse places, such as Africa, the Caribbean, and Asia.

Probably more than any other European country, Britain has been comparatively tolerant of immigrants from her former colonies coming into the country and bringing and practicing their religious, cultural and linguistic heritage. As such, it has been common to find Mosque, Sikh Gurdwaras, Hindu Temples, Synagogues, et al, all over Britain where there are sizeable numbers of people of the relevant faiths. At the same time, as is normal with any immigrant populations, Britain’s immigrant populations have tended to ‘stick together.’  

Although this is undoubtedly something which the British would also have done when they were busy invading and colonising much of the world, this tendency of immigrants to Britain has come to be viewed as undesirable and as an expression of the immigrants ‘not wanting to integrate with native Britons.’

Historically however, the reasons for this would have been the fact that it enables the immigrant populations to mix with people who share their languages, religious beliefs, and maintain a sense of community and security, as they adjust to living in a strange, and sometimes hostile environment. These ‘enclaves of immigrants’,  or, as they have become known pejoratively, ‘ghettoes’, are, of course, not only the result of the actions of the immigrants, but also of the local British population. 

At least historically, no sooner had the first immigrants move into a locality, than the local population move out, with their places being taken by other immigrants, who move in and start up their local businesses and other amenities which gives them a sense of being ‘a community.’ This happened to Irish immigrants, west Indian, African and Asian immigrants.  I can still remember how white Britons used to cite the smell of Indian cooking as a rationale for disliking them.

There is a lot of talk about Muslims and immigrants in general not wanting to integrate, learning English, etc. For people of a certain age, one can still remember the time when, in the 1960s, 70s and probably 80s, Asian men would walk in front of their women, with the women walking several paces behind them. There are some things which needs to be changed but have not yet changed or sufficiently changed. The issue of immigrants needing to learn English is, I suspect, largely aimed at new immigrants from the Indian sub-continent, as most Muslims are likely to be English speakers.

So, what are some of the fundamental changes which need to be effected, in order to make all of Britain’s Muslims and their Islamic beliefs and values more compatible with being British Muslims and living in Britain?

To be continued

owohrod