Immigration and Islam

I have been wanting for a while to bring together under a single cover my main blog postings concerning two subjects that have particularly and long occupied me in my community work: immigration and Islam. While the two subjects appear unrelated, the connection is bigger than one might first think. Most Muslims living in the UK are first or second generation immigrants, although some have converted, and are from throughout the Muslim world. One of the concerns of some of those opposing excessive and uncontrolled immigration is that of the significant number who are Muslim there are some who refuse to adapt to British culture and values, and even go out their way to oppose these as well as transgress the law, and as for immigration generally, we as a country do not have the capacity to take in so many. Helping immigrants (both economic migrants and sanctuary seekers) and befriending Muslims has long been an important part of my community activism, and I have contributed more than nost. Too often though, those who raise concerns are accused of racism, xenophobia and islamophobia etc., and those who govern us along with vociferous liberal types are too often dismissive when concerns are raised, and we are now seeing a polarising, divisive tendency on these matters. Many examples of this are covered in my blogs. Most Muslims are good people and some are my friends, yet we as a nation do have a problem with Islam, especially of the radical ilk, evidenced by recent London and Manchester terror attacks, all with an Islam connection. Most immigrants, including Muslims, are good people who contribute to British life and while the powers of be may wish to deny it and suppress those who point this out, immigration can be problematic. This perception is evidenced by this being a major reason Britain voted to leave the EU. Negative aspects are often ignored and those challenging the status quo are often castigated and accused of hate mongering. I have tried to maintain a balanced approach to both Immigration and Islam throughout my writings, taking all these considerations into account, recognizing both the positives and negatives and inviting people to question rather than accept things some rather we did so unquestioningly.

Book 3: Last updated 30/10/17