Muslims in Britain: History, Diversity, Socio-Economic Status
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.59926/jodprp.vol07/08Keywords:
Mapping, Migration, Imperial, Beliefs, PopulationAbstract
This paper examines the growing presence of Muslims in the United Kingdom (UK), a community that, despite being a minority, is expanding rapidly according to data from the Oxford-based Migration Observatory. This research examines the diverse origins, cultures, languages, and religious beliefs of British Muslims, setting the stage to explore the multifaceted emergence of Islam and Muslims in the UK. The study investigates the various phases of Muslim migration, pinpointing the principal reasons for their arrival and the routes chosen by individuals from countries such as Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Syria, Somalia, Bosnia, Kosovo, and Yemen to settle in cities like London, Glasgow, Birmingham, Cardiff, Bradford, Liverpool, Hull, and Sheffield. It identifies key factors driving the formation of Muslim communities in the UK, including political instability, ethno-religious conflicts, natural disasters, civil unrest, decolonisation, and labour shortages. Additionally, the paper assesses the socioeconomic status of Muslims in England and concludes with strategic recommendations for policymakers.
JEL Classification: A14, Z1.
Downloads
Metrics
References
Abbas, T. 2013, Muslim Britain: Communities under Pressure, 1st Ed., United Kingdom: Zed Books Ltd.
Abbas, T. 2004, ‘After 9/11: British South Asian Muslims, Islamophobia, Multiculturalism, and the State’, American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences, vol. 21, no. 3, pp. 26-38, <https://doi.org/10.35632/ajis.v21i3.506>. DOI: https://doi.org/10.35632/ajiss.v21i3.506
Abrahámová, N. 2007, Immigration Policy in Britain since 1962, Master’ Diploma Thesis, Masaryk University, Czechoslovakia, <https://is.muni.cz/th/64569/ff_m/FinalDraft.pdf>.
Ahmad, W.I.U. and Sardar, Z. (eds.) 2012, Muslims in Britain: Making Social and Political Space, 1st Ed., London: Routledge, <https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203121467>.
Balazard, H. and Peace, T. 2022, ‘Confronting Islamophobia and its Consequences in East London in a Context of Increased Surveillance and Stigmatization’, Ethnicities, vol. 23, no. 1, pp. 88-109, <https://doi.org/10.1177/14687968221088016>. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/14687968221088016
Baxter, K. 2006, ‘From Migrants to Citizens: Muslims in Britain 1950s-1990s’, Immigrants & Minorities, vol. 24, no. 2, pp. 164-192, <https://doi.org/10.1080/02619280600863663>. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/02619280600863663
Barnes, H. 2006, Born in the UK: Young Muslims in Britain, London, UK: The Foreign Policy Centre, https://www.files.ethz.ch/isn/26632/Born_UK.pdf.
Buryova, A. 2005, Muslims in Britain, Unpublished Master’s Thesis, Masaryk University, Czechoslovakia, <https://is.muni.cz/th/lq4ei/text.pdf>.
Carvel, J. 2004, ‘Census shows Muslims’ plight’, The Guardian, 12 October, <https://www.theguardian.com/society/2004/oct/12/religion.news>.
Dale, A., Fieldhouse, E., Shaheen, N. and Kalra, V. 2002, ‘The Labour Market Prospects for Pakistani and Bangladeshi Women’, Work, Employment and Society, vol. 16, no. 1, pp. 5-25, <https://doi.org/10.1177/09500170222119227>. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/09500170222119227
Deakin, N. 1969, ‘The British Nationality Act of 1948: A Brief Study in the Political Mythology of Race Relations’, Race, vol. 11, no. 1, pp. 77-83, <https://doi.org/10.1177/030639686901100106>. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/030639686901100106
Department for Communities and Local Government 2009, The Turkish and Turkish Cypriot Muslim Community in England: Understanding Muslim Ethnic Communities, London: Change Institute, <https://csdinternationalcommunityproject.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/turkish-muslim-communities4.pdf>.
Fink, G. 2010, Stress of War, Conflict and Disaster, Australia: Academic Press.
Gale, R. 2013, ‘Religious Residential Segregation and Internal Migration: The British Muslim Case’, Environment and Planning, vol. 45, no. 4, pp. 872-891, <https://doi.org/10.1068/a4515>. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1068/a4515
Gilliat-Ray, S. 1998, ‘Multiculturalism and identity: their relationship for British Muslims’, Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs, vol. 18, no. 2, pp. 347-354, < https://doi.org/10.1080/13602009808716416>. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13602009808716416
Glass, R. 1960, New Comers: The West Indians in London, London: Centre for Urban Studies, < https://www.milbank.org/wp-content/uploads/mq/volume-39/issue-01/39-1-Newcomers-The-West-Indians-in-London-by-Ruth-Glass-and-Harold-Pollins.pdf>. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/3348641
Hopkins, P. and Gale, R. 2009, Muslims in Britain - Race, Place and Identities, Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/9780748631230
Hussain, S. 2008, Muslims on the Map: A National Survey of Social Trends in Britain, London: Bloomsbury Publishing. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5040/9780755609987
Iqbal, J. 2016, ‘The Diverse Origins of Britain’s Muslims’, BBC, 18 January, <https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-33715473>.
Jan, E. 2023, ‘The Political Influence of an Interest Group: A Comparative Study on the Muslim Minority in the United States and Britain’, Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, vol. 10, pp. 1-11, <https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-023-01586-1>. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-023-01586-1
Jones, E. and Hedberg, M. 2023, Europe Today: A Twenty-First Century Introduction, 6th Ed., Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.
Kabir, N.A. 2010, Young British Muslims: Identity, Culture, Politics and the Media, Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/9780748643738
Kelly, L. 2003, ‘Bosnian Refugees in Britain: Questioning Community’, Sociology, vol. 37, no. 1, pp. 35-49, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0038038503037001386
<https://doi.org/10.1177/0038038503037001386>.
Khan, S. and Jones, A. 2003, Somalis in Camden: Challenges faced by an Emerging Community, Camden: The Refugee Forum, <https://www.karin-ha.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/A9R9B9B.pdf>.
Kundnani, A. 2007, The End of Tolerance: Racism in 21st Century Britain, London: Pluto Press.
Matar, N. I. 1998, Islam in Britain 1558-1685, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, <https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511582738>. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511582738
Miah, S., Sanderson, P. and Thomas, P. 2020, ‘Educated to be Separate?’ in ‘Race’, Space and Multiculturalism in Northern England: The (M62) Corridor of Uncertainty, Palgrave Politics of Identity and Citizenship Series, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, <https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-42032-1_7>. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-42032-1_7
Mohdin, A. 2022, ‘Census says 39% of Muslims Live in most Deprived Areas of England and Wales’, The Guardian, 30 November, <https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/nov/30/census-says-39-of-muslims-live-in-most-deprived-areas-of-england-and-wales>.
Mohit 2022, ‘The Suez Canal: A Man-Made Marvel Connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea’, Marine Insight, 7 July, <https://www.marineinsight.com/maritime-history/a-brief-history-of-the-suez-canal/>.
Muslim Census 2021, A Year of Lockdown: The Impact on Muslims, 6 April, <https://muslimcensus.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/year-of-lockdown-revised-v1.pdf>.
Nielsen, J.S. 2008, ‘Religion, Muslims, and the State in Britain and France: From Westphalia to 9/11’, in Muslims in Western Politics, Abdulkader H. Sinno (ed.), Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press.
Office for National Statistics 2023,’ Religion by Housing, Health, Employment, and Education, England and Wales: Census 2021’, 24 March, <https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/culturalidentity/religion/articles/religionbyhousinghealthemploymentandeducationenglandandwales/census2021#religion-by-employment-status>.
Peach, C. 2006a, ‘Muslims in the 2001 Census of England and Wales: Gender and Economic Disadvantage’, Ethnic and Racial Studies, vol. 29, no. 4, pp. 629-655, <https://doi.org/10.1080/01419870600665284>. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/01419870600665284
Peach, C. 2006b, ‘South Asian Migration and Settlement in Great Britain, 1951-2001’, Contemporary South Asia, vol. 15, no. 2, pp. 133-146, <https://doi.org/10.1080/09584930600955234>. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09584930600955234
Peach, C. and Gale, R. 2003, ‘Muslims, Hindus, and Sikhs in the New Religious Landscape of England’, Geographical Review, vol. 93, no. 4, pp. 469-490, <https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1931-0846.2003.tb00043.x>. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1931-0846.2003.tb00043.x
Pugh, M. 2019, Britain and Islam: A History from 622 to the Present Day, New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.12987/yale/9780300234947.001.0001
Robinson, V. 1986, Transients, Settlers, and Refugees: Asians in Britain, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Sharma, S. 2016, Women and Religion in the West: Challenging Secularization, London: Routledge.
Siddiqui, A. 1995, ‘Muslims in Britain: Past and Present’, Muslim Population, <https://muslimpopulation.com/library/History/Muslims%20In%20Britain.pdf>.
Sirkeci, I., Tilbe, F., Bilecen, T., Dedeoglu, S., Seker, B.D., Unutulmaz, K.O., Costu, Y. and Kesici, M.R. 2016, Little Turkey in Great Britain, London: Transnational Press.
Smith, E. and Marmo, M. 2014, Race, Gender and the Body in British Immigration Control: Subject to Examination, Berlin: Springer. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137280442
Statista 2023, Islam in the UK - Statistics & Facts, Statista Research Department, 20 December, <https://www.statista.com/topics/4765/islam-in-the-unitedkingdomuk/#statisticChapter>.
Spencer, I. R. G. 1997, British Immigration Policy since1 939: The Making of Multi-Racial Britain. London: Routledge, < https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203437032>.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2023 Shaista Malik
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
