All posts in the topic Muslim Ghettoisation (Short link)
Summary
- There are 6 posts — by 6 authors — in this topic.
- Latest post made by Adrian Norman at May 21 03:29 UTC
Established
1981
London School of Islamics
An Educational Trust
63 Margery Park Road London E7 9LD
Email: <email obscured>
www.londonschoolofislamics.org.uk
Tel/Fax: 0208 555 2733 / 07817 112 667
Muslim Ghettoisation
We live in a shrunken world and millions of people are on the move; one of
our biggest challenges is how we learn to live in proximity to difference -
different skin colours, different beliefs and different way of life.
According to a study by COMPAS, Muslims born and educated were given the
impression of outsiders. The perception among Muslims is that they are
unwelcome in Britain is undermining efforts to help them integrate into
wider society. Most of them say that they have experienced race
discrimination and religious prejudice. Muslims and Islam is promoted a
fundamentalist and separatist by the western elite, which have negative
impact on community and social cohesion. The number of racist incidents
occurring in London Borough of Redbridge's schools have reached their
highest levels since record begin.
A City or a locality, where Muslims are in majority is a ghetto. There is a
tendency for people of similar backgrounds to live together in
neighourhoods. The term"ghettoisation" is inappropriate. The original
ghettos in Europe during the middle ages were set up by law to confine the
Jewish population to one area of a city. According to a research by an
Australian academic that Muslim communities in Britain are being
increasingly ghettoized in a trend that set back hopes of assimilation by
years. Britain has now eight cities in the top 100 most ghettoized cities.
The people from the Pakistani community in Bradford and Oldham and Leicester
had trebled during the decade. A report by an academic Dr Alan Carling, that
Bradford risks becoming a front line in the global clash between the West
and Islam. But Islam and Muslims do not clash with the concepts of
pluralism, secularism and globalisation. The native flight from Bradford's
inner-city wards showed clear evidence of an increase in segregation in the
city since 1991. Native parents are avoiding sending their children in state
schools where Muslims and other minorities are in majority. The dominance
of Pakistani Muslims in the city has meant that Bradford has become
bi-cultural.
Immigrants are the creators of Britain new wealth, otherwise, inner cities
deprived areas could not get new lease of life. The native Brits regard such
areas as ghettoes. Integration is not religious and cultural, it is economic
and Muslims are well integrated into British society and at the same time
they are proud of their Islamic, linguistic and cultural identities, inspite
of discrimination they have been facing in all walks of life. According to
UN, 80% of British Muslims feel discriminated. They are less burden on
social services. Immigrants made up 8.7% of the population, but accounted
for10.2% of all collected income tax
It is often quoted by the Western media that Muslim schools ghettoizse the
children, and even lead to their radicalisation if they are not integrated.
There is no evidence that faith schools lead to a "ghettoized education
system. In British schools, pupils are encouraged to focus too much on their
similarities rather than their differences. The integrationist approach
merely results in Muslims feeling that their faith, language and culture is
not respected.
Iftikhar Ahmad
I honestly don't understand the point being made here; the first three
paragraphs twitter on about supposed ghettoization and how segregation is bad
for community relations (no argument with that from my part).
But the last paragraph bemoans the fact that in British schools, under a
secular educational system, students "are encouraged to focus too much of their
similarities rather than their differences" - surly a good thing if one wants
to promote "social cohesion".
My reading is that Iftikhar wants more segregation (by means of state funded
faith schools).
What would be the situation if a student who had been brought up under the
teachings of Islam (at home and at school) decided they no longer wanted to be
a Muslim? Would s/he have to changes school or college? And, is Iftikhar
advocating that there should be Islamic Universities?
It would be appreciated if a link or reference could be provided to the UN
"data" quoted (and the other facts outlined).
I found this to be a very one sided letter ,All the wealth seems to have been
brought into this country by immigrants, and everyone seems to be unhappy with
the way they are treated here ?. Something that I am unhappy with about this
letter is the fact that you refer to the indigenous population of this country
as Native Brits .Britain or the UK covers England, Ireland, Scotland,and Wales.
I am English and this is England I like to be precise and not generalise.
Carol
80% of British Muslims feel discriminated.
Did the UN survey British non-muslims?
A report by an academic Dr Alan Carling, that
Bradford risks becoming a front line in the global clash between the West
and Islam.
Don't think the "West" particularly wants a global clash. We tend to be pretty
good at getting on with those that want to get on with us but we do get a tadge
miffed with those that want to insist that their ways and beliefs are right and
should replace ours or even expect that we should modify ours to suit them.
The native flight from Bradford's
inner-city wards showed clear evidence of an increase in segregation in the
city since 1991. Native parents are avoiding sending their children in state
schools where Muslims and other minorities are in majority.
I ask myself, why?
First off I think its great that Iftikhar has shared this viewpoint with this forum as it gives a perspective not formerly versed here to my knowledge. I will skip the last part about schools, as I'm currently a co-opted (Humanist) member of Newhams SACRE. I think that Ghetto is often a misused term. The typical foundation of historical 'Ghettos', (German) Judengasse, (Morrocan) mellahs or American 'ethnic enclaves' is that... 1) They were ports of entry into countries for racial minorities, and immigrant racial minorities. 2) They were formed when the majority uses compulsion (typically violence, hostility, or legal barriers) to force minorities into particular areas. and 3) When the majority is willing and able to pay more than the minority to live with its own kind in usually better housing. The economic point of Ghettoisation I want to make here. All the historical set ups for Ghettoisation, do not really cover 'self Ghettoisation' which is the concern and indeed the assumption today. That said people have a natural tendancy to wish to congregate with people in similar circumstance, though very often it it wealth rather than race or religion that forms the largest secluded grouping. eg I work with 180 people with ancestry from more nations and parts of the world than I have fingers and toes. Why do they work together ?, because like me they dont have the economic circumstances not to. I live (on Winsor Park Social Housing Estate) with people with ancestry from more nations and parts of the world than I have fingers and toes. Why do they live together ? because they do not have the economic means not to. I would however challenge that 'flight from inner cities' is purely on ethnic or religious grounds. That many orginal occupants of Londons East End for example , be they English, Irish, Jewish or whatever was to do with economic betterment in terms of incomes and housing, that these areas have now large communities from people of origins from Africa and Asia is again economic, I quote 3) above "When the majority is willing and able to pay more than the minority to live with its own kind in usually better housing", and indeed many moved out to leafy Essex, or in the case of the Jewish Community to leafy North West London suburbia. I generalise, but I'm responding to a generalisation. I guess thats nicely... no perhaps roughly sums it up. Sincere Lane Taylor Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghetto
The reasons lie in our different histories.
England, and in due course the United Kingdom, enacted laws to protect the
individual from the tyranny of the group. These became individual human
rights embodied in international treaties. Examples include freedom of
association and its corollary, the right to dissociate from any group.
Before the renaissance, the main group in Christendom that you could not
leave with impunity was the Roman Church which was intolerant of heretics.
Empires, unlike nations, were unable to enforce their beliefs on subject
peoples (which did not stop them trying). The Roman, Mongol, Ottoman,
Moghul and British Empires, for example, were multi-faith as long as belief
did not threaten the regime.
When the Ottoman Empire broke up into rival states during and after the
first World War, dominant sects of Islam controlled the governments. The law
of the land protected the dominant state religion by allowing it to
persecute heretics; in effect, sectarian religious law became the law of the
land.
The French and American revolutions two hundred years ago relegated religion
to the private sphere. In particular, they do not provide public funding for
religious education. We nationalised education but permitted faith schools
to continue, either independently or state funded.
In hindsight, this was a big mistake. We cannot argue that religion which
does not tolerate dissent should not be taught in state-funded schools;
ostensibly all religions are equal before the law. But some Muslims and a
few remaining Christians demand that their faith be taught at the public
expense, rather than all faiths and none so that children can choose which
to believe without risk of persecution.
Religious toleration was slow coming to the UK. In Northern Ireland it took
until this century. Secular schools will reduce the influence of religion in
the public sphere. It will also increase heresy and apostasy in the views of
believers who cannot tolerate it.
A good thing too, say I.
Adrian Norman