Muslim Ghettoisation
From:
Lane Taylor
Date:
May 19 20:14 UTC
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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