Story of the British Muslims
By: Vipin Agnihotri
This is a story of a community that is in a dismal state with no fault of their own. Yes, you guessed it right! We are talking about the British Muslims.
For most British Muslims and especially for young, life has undergone a dramatic change after the London blasts. As with many young Muslims living in Britain, they feel constantly under suspicion, with people eyeing their beards and clothing, and keeping their distance on the streets.
It is worth mentioning in this regard that four British Muslims, three of Pakistani origin, killed themselves and 52 others in the blasts on three underground trains and a bus on July 7 last year. In the days that followed, the government met with Muslim leaders to discuss the scale and the root of the extremism. But the million dollar question is: Can you blame the whole community responsible for an incident that is carried out by few men who did not know the true meaning of Islam?
Whatever the reason be, it is going quickly downhill for 1.6 million Muslims who make up just fewer than 3 percent of Britain’s population. The vast majority from the Indian subcontinent coming primarily to work with a dream of living a better lifestyle. The condition for them worsened on 9/11 with Al- Qaeda and Osama Bin Laden coming into the limelight publicly stating in media that they are running a battle for Muslims and most importantly for the existence of Islam. They termed this battle as a ‘jihad’, meaning fighting for the rights to equality, and right to freedom and expression. Then came the unfortunate London bombings adding fuel to the fire that has existed after the 9/11 attacks.
These are very bad times to be a Muslim living in Britain. They have lived harmoniously in this country for decades but since 9/11 they have been under suspicion with no wrong doing by them. Not everyone agrees to this point though. In the wake of the bombings, the Muslim community faced charges that it had not properly integrated into Britain, leaving young Muslims trapped between the two cultures.
This point has some significance as this historic lack of integration has helped militants and so called Islamic fundamentalist spread their word resulting in a delusion of minds, especially of younger ones who are not mature enough to think about such complex and sensitive issues.
Growing up in a Muslim home is completely different to a Western home and then when they get older and step out into the Western world, it is like stepping out onto a different planet.
They face a whole internal battle in being both Muslim and in trying to integrate into the Western society. They grow up in a society where it is fine to be non-religious. And then there is also the generation gap, where their parents do not really understand them … or their problems. An incident of racism or rejection could suddenly interrupt the integration process.
One can be left feeling pretty sore and suddenly these extremists appear and deliver a whole mass of philosophy about how one is great, special and different to the people who are persecuting them. They always know what age group to recruit and they are very effective. It is like a hidden world but it is so prevalent.
The writer is a Journalist based at India and can be contacted at nit43@rediffmail.com