By Sanjay Suri
LONDON, Nov 4 2002 (IPS)

Muslims in Britain suffer because the law provides protection against only racial and not religious discrimination, says a new report.

"Serious problems and obstacles to integration faced by Muslims as a group tend to be under-researched and overlooked," says the report ‘The Situation of Muslims in the UK’ released Monday by the independent Open Society Institute set up by the philanthropist George Soros.

There is some protection for Pakistani and Bangladeshi Muslims on account of their ethnicity. But "European, African, Afro-Caribbean or Chinese Muslims are left unprotected as they come from communities where Muslims are in a minority," the report says. About 40 per cent of the estimated two million Muslims in Britain have origins outside South Asia, the report says.

But Pakistanis and Bangladeshis remain the most disadvantaged groups, with lower rates of economic activity and higher rates of unemployment than other ethnic minority groups, the report says. Four-fifths of Pakistani or Bangladeshi households have incomes at or below the national average compared with two-fifths for other ethnic minority households.

More than half of Pakistani and Bangladeshi households live in the ten most deprived wards in England. In 2000, 29 per cent of Pakistani and Bangladeshi pupils gained five or more grades of C or above after basic schooling. The national average was 49 per cent.

The report says anti-discrimination legislation should provide the same level of protection against religious discrimination as it does against racial discrimination.

"Since September 11 British Muslims have been accused of being isolationist," says Tufyal Choudhury, lecturer in international human rights law at the University of Durham, and author of the report . "This report shows that Muslim communities still face discrimination and disadvantage that make integration difficult. It must be a two-way process."

The report says that Muslims still suffer disproportionately from social exclusion and face public services that fail to take adequate account of their needs. Since September 11 last year they have also faced increased attacks and had their allegiance to the UK questioned. "An entire generation of Muslims could be locked into a cycle of poverty and become alienated from society," the report warns.

The lack of Islamic content in the curriculum of schools leads to a reliance on mosques, the report says. "But these lessons often leave young people ill equipped with the tools to engage with their religion," it says. "Education departments should give stronger guidance to ensure that the needs of Muslim pupils are adequately met across the UK."

The report says Arabic should be offered as a foreign language in schools alongside French, German and Spanish. That will help keep them away from extremist groups, the report says.

The report says that Arabic is important because it is the language of the Quran. Lessons on the Quran at mosques give students an inadequate understanding about Islam, the report says. "Young people are left knowing they are Muslims but with very little understanding of Islam, creating a space into which organisations with differing interpretations of Islam can step," the report says.

The report suggests steps to encourage participation by Muslims in public life. "Steps are also needed by institutions of the European Union to ensure inclusion of Muslims in the policy-making processes," the report says. "Measures to improve the situation of British Muslims will bring benefits to society as a whole."

The report is a part of the 2002 EUMAP (European Union Accession Monitoring Programme of the Open Society Institute) Minority Protection Report focusing on the situation of vulnerable minority groups in 15 European countries.

The first volume of the report which came out last year focused on the ten European Union (EU) candidate states of Central and Eastern Europe and looked at the situation of the Roma minority in several European countries. The second volume concentrates on the five largest EU member states, looking at the situation of Muslims in France, Italy and the UK and of Roma in Germany and Spain.

The Muslim Council of Britain, a leading independent group, said the recommendations will serve as a "benchmark to measure institutional change, not just within government, but within community bodies and mosques as well."

A separate survey commissioned by the Islamic Society of Britain to coincide with the launch of Islam Awareness Week, found that 84 per cent of people surveyed said it is possible for British Muslims and people of other faiths to "live peacefully together at close quarters".

Fifty-six per cent of the mainly non-Muslim respondents of the survey agreed that Muslims often suffered from unfair discrimination. The MCB is also pressing for a new law to tackle vilification of religion and religious sanctities.

Excerpt:

By Sanjay Suri
LONDON, Nov 4 2002 (IPS)

Muslims in Britain suffer because the law provides protection against only racial and not religious discrimination, says a new report.

“Serious problems and obstacles to integration faced by Muslims as a group tend to be under-researched and overlooked,” says the report ‘The Situation of Muslims in the UK’ released Monday by the independent Open Society Institute set up by the philanthropist George Soros.

There is some protection for Pakistani and Bangladeshi Muslims on account of their ethnicity. But “European, African, Afro-Caribbean or Chinese Muslims are left unprotected as they come from communities where Muslims are in a minority,” the report says. About 40 per cent of the estimated two million Muslims in Britain have origins outside South Asia, the report says.

But Pakistanis and Bangladeshis remain the most disadvantaged groups, with lower rates of economic activity and higher rates of unemployment than other ethnic minority groups, the report says. Four-fifths of Pakistani or Bangladeshi households have incomes at or below the national average compared with two-fifths for other ethnic minority households.

More than half of Pakistani and Bangladeshi households live in the ten most deprived wards in England. In 2000, 29 per cent of Pakistani and Bangladeshi pupils gained five or more grades of C or above after basic schooling. The national average was 49 per cent.

The report says anti-discrimination legislation should provide the same level of protection against religious discrimination as it does against racial discrimination.

“Since September 11 British Muslims have been accused of being isolationist,” says Tufyal Choudhury, lecturer in international human rights law at the University of Durham, and author of the report . “This report shows that Muslim communities still face discrimination and disadvantage that make integration difficult. It must be a two-way process.”

The report says that Muslims still suffer disproportionately from social exclusion and face public services that fail to take adequate account of their needs. Since September 11 last year they have also faced increased attacks and had their allegiance to the UK questioned. “An entire generation of Muslims could be locked into a cycle of poverty and become alienated from society,” the report warns.

The lack of Islamic content in the curriculum of schools leads to a reliance on mosques, the report says. “But these lessons often leave young people ill equipped with the tools to engage with their religion,” it says. “Education departments should give stronger guidance to ensure that the needs of Muslim pupils are adequately met across the UK.”

The report says Arabic should be offered as a foreign language in schools alongside French, German and Spanish. That will help keep them away from extremist groups, the report says.

The report says that Arabic is important because it is the language of the Quran. Lessons on the Quran at mosques give students an inadequate understanding about Islam, the report says. “Young people are left knowing they are Muslims but with very little understanding of Islam, creating a space into which organisations with differing interpretations of Islam can step,” the report says.

The report suggests steps to encourage participation by Muslims in public life. “Steps are also needed by institutions of the European Union to ensure inclusion of Muslims in the policy-making processes,” the report says. “Measures to improve the situation of British Muslims will bring benefits to society as a whole.”

The report is a part of the 2002 EUMAP (European Union Accession Monitoring Programme of the Open Society Institute) Minority Protection Report focusing on the situation of vulnerable minority groups in 15 European countries.

The first volume of the report which came out last year focused on the ten European Union (EU) candidate states of Central and Eastern Europe and looked at the situation of the Roma minority in several European countries. The second volume concentrates on the five largest EU member states, looking at the situation of Muslims in France, Italy and the UK and of Roma in Germany and Spain.

The Muslim Council of Britain, a leading independent group, said the recommendations will serve as a “benchmark to measure institutional change, not just within government, but within community bodies and mosques as well.”

A separate survey commissioned by the Islamic Society of Britain to coincide with the launch of Islam Awareness Week, found that 84 per cent of people surveyed said it is possible for British Muslims and people of other faiths to “live peacefully together at close quarters”.

Fifty-six per cent of the mainly non-Muslim respondents of the survey agreed that Muslims often suffered from unfair discrimination. The MCB is also pressing for a new law to tackle vilification of religion and religious sanctities.

Excerpt: