London Diary: Muslims and nationality

Few things infuriate Indian Muslims more than being asked whether they regard themselves as Muslims first, or Indian first.

They see the question as a sly attempt to question their patriotism. An Islamophobic slur. "What nonsense! Of course, Indian first," they would retort.

British Muslims, however, are more upfront and freely admit that their faith takes precedence over their nationality. No "ifs" and "buts".

At least, that's what they told a study commissioned by Institute for the Impact of Faith in Life (IIFL).  

Most of them said that their religious identity was more precious to them than their Britishness.

This is particularly true of young Muslims while the older generation for reasons which are not clear is more likely to identify as primarily British.

However, according to IIFL, the findings should not be read as a reflection on their patriotism. It's an expression of their sense of "exclusion from mainstream notions of Britishness”.

Those in the 12 to 27 years of age--the so-called "Gen Z"--are said to be more sensitive to what they regard as "negative" perception of their faith, ethnicity and life-style.

“The identification as Muslim first was not about not wanting to identify as British, nor anything doctrinal demanding loyalty to Islam first. Instead it was about not feeling welcomed to identify as British first," said Charlotte Littlewood, the IIFL’s director of research.

Meanwhile, the Muslim World League (MWL), one the world’s most influential Islamic organisations, has warned that the conflict in Gaza has “exacerbated” divisions between Muslims and non-Muslims, which can then allow extremism to breed on both sides.

For all this, however, most British Muslims view the UK as a more “accommodating” country than its European neighbours, and feel freer to openly identify as Muslim than they would in France.

Most would prefer to live in the UK than in a Muslim-majority country, while 77 per cent believe it is important to “raise children to be citizens who make positive contributions to British society”.

There's a phrase for this sort of leaning both ways: having the best of both worlds. And why not?

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“Alarming” student visa abuse 

There has been an alarming rise in abuse of student visa by international scholars despite a government crackdown. And most of the culprits happen to come from the subcontinent and Nigeria.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper was shocked to discover the scale of the abuse while reviewing the working of the dysfunctional asylum system. 

She was told that “thousands” of foreign students who came to the UK legally but overstayed their short-term visas have managed to remain in the UK by attempting to seek asylum claiming that it will not be safe for them to return to their country either because of their political views, religion, life-style choices or gender.

Last year 16,000 asylum claims were reportedly lodged by migrants who originally came to the UK on a study visa.

“Thousands of them were able to claim taxpayer-funded accommodation including hotels by claiming they lacked the funds to rent some place themselves,” The Times reported.

There has been an alarming rise in abuse of student visa by international scholars

Earlier this month an immigration tribunal judge ruled that a Pakistani man who first arrived on a student visa should be granted refugee status despite being convicted of sexually assaulting a woman in 2017.

He had claimed he was gay and would therefore face persecution in his home country. He arrived in the UK in 2006 as a student but stayed on after his visa expired and lived in the UK illegally since then.

Another Pakistani student overstayer claimed she was a Christian and would face persecution if deported back to Pakistan. Not only did she succeed in being granted refugee status, but also won £98,757.04  in compensation for the way the Home Office treated her. She claimed she was “treated like a criminal” when immigration enforcement officers detained her for two weeks in 2018. 

Note of caution: the government plans to further tighten the student visa regime making it almost impossible for students from certain countries, including India, to enter Britain.

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Millionaires fleeing London

London is no longer one of the top five wealthiest cities in the world after losing a higher proportion of millionaires than any other country, except Moscow. 

According to an annual report by New World Wealth, a South Africa-based global wealth intelligence firm, the UK’s capital has lost 11,300 dollar millionaires.

It said that London, which now has 215,700 dollar millionaires, is one of only two cities in the top 50 — the other being Moscow — that has fewer rich people than ten years ago. Even Paris--London's traditional rival--has seen a rise in the number of millionaires, with a 5 per cent increase over the period.

In total, London has lost 12 per cent of its richest residents since 2014, with the decline being attributed to tax increases, Brexit and the fall in the value of the pound.

It’s not for nothing that Britain is mocked as a “weary old courtesan whose attractions are faded and diamonds pawned”, as The Times columnist Libby Purves put it.

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And, lastly, a British businessman, taking a potshot at Donald Trump’s obsession with trade deficit, recalled US economist and Nobel laureate Robert Solow once saying in jest: “I have a chronic deficit with my barber, who doesn’t buy a darned thing from me.”