The Question of Tolerance: The Perspectives of the Immigrants in United Kingdom and the British Government

Hello ladies and gentlemen, today I am going to share an intersecting article and study in our major subject in Contemporary Europe. This is about the immigration issues in the United Kingdom and the rising cases of islamophobia.

The history of the modern immigration to the United Kingdom started on 1945 when the British Nationality Law has been significant, immigrants specifically from the Republic of Ireland and from the former British Empire particularly India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, the Caribbean, South Africa, Kenya and Hong Kong. Other immigrants have come as haven or asylum seekers also, looking for protection and assurance as the displaced people or refugees under the United Nations 1951 Refugee Convention established directly after the Second World War.

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Rationale of this Article

​The purpose of this article is to know the different perspectives on the issues of immigrants in United Kingdom since the majority of the social conflicts published on the media were caused by the immigrants. In addition, this is to know also the existing policies of the British Government for the Immigrants and to lay out the existing issues and role of the United Nations.

​This paper was done through gathering of data from various sources, both primary and secondary; in order to show the historical information that will help in supporting the thesis statement. Furthermore, in order for this study to analyze and understand easily, this paper is accompanied by theories or frameworks, the theory of Multiculturalism and Kymlicka’s Theory. The idea of multiculturalism in contemporary political discourse and in political philosophy is all about how to comprehend and react to the difficulties related with social, cultural and religious diversity. The Kymlicka’s theory on the other hand concerns in giving a liberal framework for a just treatment to the minority groups.

To classify the immigrants in United Kingdom on this study, we must know the definitions of immigrants in UK. Immigrant is a person who comes to live permanently in a foreign country. But Immigrants have been described in the following different ways in United Kingdom:

• Foreign-Born - these are the people born outside the UK. This definition will include UK citizen born abroad and migrants who have UK citizenship.

• Foreign Citizen or Foreign National-includes immigrants who have kept nationality of their home country as well as second and third generation immigrants if they have not taken up UK citizenship.

• Foreign Worker- a person who is working in UK who does not have UK citizenship.

HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION IN UNITED KINGDOM

There have always been scenes of immigration to Britain but those immigration were small and demographically insignificant; not until the Second World War. The first Immigration policy of British on 1945 was actually the Encouraging Immigration since labor was in great demand after the Second World War in order to restore Britain’s economy. Between 1945 and 1949, over 100,000 workers were admitted via the European Volunteer Workers scheme; these were mainly displaced persons from Eastern Europe. Between 1946 and 1949 the Ministry of Labor and National Service issued approximately 101,000 permits for temporary employment to foreign workers.

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Following active recruitment in the Caribbean, particularly for London Transport and the National Health Service (NHS), over 400 Jamaicans arrived between 1948 and 1951, many of whom had served in the Royal Air Force during the war. The 1947 Polish Resettlement Act brought a further 121,172 from the Polish armed forces, with their families, who had served under the Allied Forces. In addition, approximately 15,000 German, 8,000 Ukrainian and 1,000 Italian former prisoners of war were allowed to remain in Britain and over 25,000 other immigrants were accepted as post-war distressed relatives, children of unknown nationality and spouses and fiancé(e)s.
After the Second World War, various former colonies of the British Empire began to gain their independence, most notably India. In order to retain an influence over the former colonies.

The British Nationality Act was passed in 1948, which gave colony citizens, the ‘New’ Commonwealth, the right to free movement in and out of Britain, hold a British passport, work, settle and vote in Britain. Thus, the Act gave Commonwealth citizens an incentive to remain linked with Britain. A substantial number of immigrants began to arrive. Work permits were issued mainly for unskilled and semiskilled work, particularly in regions with expanding industries and sectors with relatively unattractive working conditions.

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For nearly a thousand years migration was on a very small scale compared to the size of the population. In the decades between the Second World War and the late 1990s, foreign immigration grew steadily at a relatively modest rate before declining in the late 1960s and becoming fairly stable between 1971 and 1981. The massive increase in the level of migration since the late 1990s is utterly unprecedented in the country’s history, dwarfing the scale of anything that went before.

The Role of United Nations

Grounded in Article 14 of the Universal Declaration of human rights 1948, which perceives the rights of people to look for refuge or asylum from oppression and persecution in different nations, the United Nations Convention identifying the status of displaced people, embraced in 1951, is the centerpiece of universal evacuee insurance today. The Convention went into compel on 22 April 1954, and it has been liable to just a single amendment as a 1967 Protocol, which eradicated the geographic and transient points of limitations of the 1951 Convention. The 1951 Convention, as a post-Second World War instrument, was initially limited in degree to people escaping situations happening before 1 January 1951 and within Europe. The 1967 Protocol erased these limitations and consequently gave the Convention universal scope. It has since been supplemented by displaced people and backup insurance administrations in a few regions; and additionally by means of the progressive improvement of global human rights law. The Conventionis both a status and rights-based instrument and is supported by various fundamental principles, most remarkably non-discrimination, non-punishment and non-refoulement. Convention arrangements, for example, are to be connected without discrimination as to race, religion or nation of origin. Progress in global human rights law additionally strengthen the rule that the Convention can be applied without discrimination as to sex, age, inability, sexuality, or other denied grounds of segregation.

The Convention additionally stipulates that, subject to particular exemptions, evacuees ought not to be punished for their illegal entry or stay. This perceives that the looking for haven can expect evacuees to break migration rules. Significantly, the Convention contains different protections against the expulsion of displaced people. The guideline of non-refoulement is fundamental to the point that no reservations or criticisms might be made to it. It gives that nobody might oust or return ("refouler") an evacuee against his or her will, in any way at all, to a region where he or she fears dangers to life or freedom.
Finally, the Convention sets down fundamental standards for the treatment of refugees, without bias to States granting more favorable treatment. Such rights incorporate access to the courts, to primary education, to work, and the provision for documentation, including a refugee travel record in passport form.

Latest Immigration Law in United Kingdom

Asylum and Immigration Act 2004- or the treatment of claimants, etc. is an act for building on the foundations of the previous two acts, this legislation was passed to improve the speed and finality of the appeals and removals system, and tackle organized crime and immigration offences.

The Immigration Act 2014 was intended to make it easier to remove people refused permission to stay in the UK by reducing the scope to appeal and simplifying and enforcing the removal process. As of 2015, Naturalization Policies followed. Children born in the UK to an individual who is either a British citizen or settled in the UK automatically become British citizens at birth. Children born to non-British citizens do not get automatic citizenship. Individuals born outside of the UK are considered to be British citizens if at the time of birth, either the mother or father is a British citizen. This policy is in effect as of today.

ISSUES OF RELIGIOUS INTOLERANCE AND ETHNOCENTRISM IN UNITED KINGOM



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The amount of religious hatred, oppression and violence in the world is not only appalling. It is also difficult for many people to understand. Nobody doubts that one’s religion is largely the product of one’s birthplace and of early teaching in their family of origin. Most people inherit their religion like their eye color, what they learn as a child in their culture is very difficult to change when they grow up.
The most tangible divide in the United Kingdom today might not be the one along racial but rather ethnic lines, along religious and cultural ones. The growing sense of Islamophobia is indeed an issue today, as they are very vocal in their rejection and criticism of Islam and its values. Islamophobia is not a new phenomenon, but it has indeed reached new heights in popularity in the UK within the last decade. The more obvious reasons for this are quickly found: continued, at times violent, tensions between what the so-called Western hemisphere and Islamic countries, a perceived incompatibility between different cultures fears among parts of the population of losing their jobs to migrant workers and plain fear of the unknown. Islamic fundamentalists tainting the public image of Muslims in the UK add their part to a generally rather tense situation. Terror strikes carried out by adherents of radical Islam on UK and mainland European soil have made international headlines and escalated the issue. The campaigns for a referendum held in June 2016 during which the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union did nothing to help this growing sense of fear. According to an annual survey carried out by an anti-Muslim hate monitoring organization, it reported a 326% increase in racially motivated incidents compared to 2015.


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As religion is part of their traditions and practices which plays a huge role to their culture, the behavior of both parties will possibly result to extremism or avoidance to each other’s culture. There are cases of terrorism in United Kingdom but it is very important to know the difference of terrorism and extremism which seems to be very interchangeable. Extremism is intertwined with their religion and culture as it is the vocal or active opposition to the host country’s fundamental values, including democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and respect and tolerance for different faiths and beliefs which often times led to violence. While terrorism is an action or threat designed to influence or intimidate the public. Its main purpose is to advance a political, religious or ideological cause. The situation of some immigrants in UK is just like following a pattern of them being alienated and turns them to being extremists and led to terrorism.
Religion alone cannot be the sole reason of extremism, issues including identity and poverty were not being properly tackled as push factors driving young people towards fringe groups. 82% of Islamism-related offenses committed form 1998 to 2015 were committed by individuals from the most deprived areas in UK.

CONCLUSION



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​This articles tried to reveal that the current issues between the Immigrants in United Kingdom and the British Government and People, were instigated by perceived intolerance of each other’s beliefs and culture. It indeed showed that the rise of extremism and terrorism were prevalent to the current situation in UK. It showcases that the religious committed immigrants welcomed by the ethnocentric principles of the British people creates a clash of culture. Religion by its nature is not violent, yet there are triggers that can make it as an excuse to be violent.

​This article concludes that the issues of intolerance and ethnocentric views will continue to proliferate as long as the British government and its people and the immigrants will continue to avoid one another instead of promoting the beauty of diversity and living harmoniously.

What's your opinion on this UK immigration issue? The rise of islamophobia? Hmm let me hear your thoughts. Thanks for reading

REFERENCES
Books/PDF

• Kundnani, Arun. The end of tolerance: racism in 21st century Britain. London: Pluto Press,2007.
• Mackellar, Landis. "George Crowder,Theories of Multiculturalism: An Introduction." Population
  and Development Review40, no. 3 (2014): 562-65.doi:10.1111/j.17284457.2014.00700.x.
• Lewis, Philip. Young, British and Muslim. London: Continuum, 2007
  Woodland, L., et al. “Religions in the Modern World”. EBSCO Publishing : eBook​Collection(EBSCOhost) - printed on 6/16/2017 8:06 PM via ATENEO DE MANILA​​ UNIV.

Electronice/Websites

• Herlitz, Lauren. n.d. "A review of the recent literature on the UK." Pilot research study for theEuropean Migration Network on “The Impact of Immigration on Europe’s Societies”.13. Accessed February 5,2018.https://ec.europa.eu/homeaffairs/sites/homeaffairs/files/what-wedo/networks/european_migration_network/reports/docs/emn-studies/illegally-resident/uk​finalstudyt3-6_en.pdf
• Cartagena Declaration on Refugees, Adopted at a Colloquium Entitled "Coloquio Sobre La​Proteccion Internacional De Los Refugiados En American Central, Mexico Y Panama:​Problemas Juridicos Y Humanitarios" Held at Cartagena, Colombia from 19-22​November 1984." Refugee Survey Quarterly24, no. 2 (2005): 153-57.​doi:10.1093/rsq/hdi038.