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Immigrants who have
settled in Europe, especially in Britain, show a great diversity in
ethnic origin, religious belief, entrepreneurial skills, linguistic
fluency and ability to co-exist with the host community. Whilst East
Europeans, Jews, Cypriots and Turks are visually indistinguishable from
Europeans, their religion, language and lifestyle are different. Asians,
Chinese and Afro-Caribbeans stand out everywhere, especially Asians who
stick to their traditional dress and speak their native language. The
younger generations born and schooled in Europe have no difficulty
communicating in the national language but some older immigrants are
fluent only in their native language and insist on its use at home.
I am “brown, Asian,
Muslim and British!”, declared Dr. Mohamed Aziz as he stepped out of his
surgery in Hampstead, London. I asked him if he would support England
playing Pakistan in a Cricket Test series. Without hesitation, he said:
“Of course! I was born here, English is my first language and Britain is
my home country. I wish I was good enough at cricket to play for
England”.
Mohamed is second
generation of an Asian minority that is established and prospering in
today’s Britain. He exudes a confidence lacking in the early immigrants
from the Indian sub-continent or from African countries like Uganda
where corrupt dictators like Iddi Amin terrorized and evicted Asian
minorities. Mohamed qualified at Oxford University and his son is a
scholar at Eton. Like other entrepreneurs and professional Asians,
Mohamed enjoys a middle class lifestyle comparable to that of the
English middleclass family. Although Mohamed’s family is so different
from a traditional family from rural Pakistan struggling in a terrace
house in Bradford, the public stereotype image is exploited occasionally
to express prejudice through verbal abuse..
The most powerful
social asset that anyone can have is the power to communicate as the
ability to do so dissipates fears that give rise to suspicion and
prejudice. Linguistic fluency coupled with an indistinguishable
sartorial presence enable most people to mix freely in any society. Some
ethnic groups, like traditional families from rural Pakistan and
Bangladesh, choose to live in close proximity to each other to access
places of worship, recreation and shops stocking their needs. These
ethnic settlements, especially in Northern cities in England, have
disadvantaged some Asian immigrants in their ability to integrate in the
wider community. It has limited their opportunity for enterprise and
employment to what is available within their community. It deprives them
of interaction with the indigenous community to gain social confidence.
Although many East African Asians – both Hindu and Muslim – choose to
live in certain areas like Wembley, Camden, Kingsbury, Harrow and
Edgware, they have integrated very well with the indigenous community as
well other minorities e.g. Jews, Sikhs, Afro-Caribbeans, Greek & Turkish
Cypriots. They have excelled in their professions & enterprises beyond
their area of residence
What is citizenship?
How can migrants, especially those from non-European ethnic backgrounds,
be helped to identify as citizens without losing their ethnicity,
religious faith and social traditions? How can their presence be woven
into the fabric of a community that retains national identity?
Knowledge of the
national language, history and local traditions help in appreciating the
values of a nation. Information on civic responsibilities and rights is
an essential part of a formal induction as a citizen. Local governments
in most EU Member States are empowered to offer induction services to
immigrants acquiring citizenship.
The European Union
obliges all Member States to offer their citizens the right to worship
freely. Furthermore, the EU forbids discrimination on the basis of skin
colour, religion, class or creed. Unfortunately, practice does not
reflect legislation and many ethnic immigrants, especially Muslims, are
inhibited in some EU countries from acquiring/building their place of
worship and from wearing the clothes of their choice. This has created
unnecessary fear, alienation, discrimination at work and social
conflict.
With more than 100
languages spoken, UK citizens living in London represent virtually every
nation in the world. Can other EU Member States benefit from examining
how Britain has accommodated peacefully over 5 million ethnic migrants?
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