More than a third of British Asians do not feel British, a BBC poll suggests. The research among the under-34s for the Asian Network found 38% of the UK residents of South Asian origin felt only slightly or not at all British. More than a third agreed to get on in the UK they needed to be a “coconut”, a term for somebody who is “brown on the outside but white on the inside”. ICM Research interviewed 500 Asian people aged 16-34 and 235 white people aged 18-34 between 4 and 12 July. Of those polled 84% were satisfied with life in Britain and almost half thought they have more opportunities here. All of the British Asians polled were of South Asian origin… Among the British Asians interviewed were 296 Muslims, 112 Hindus, 39 Sikhs and 33 Christians.
Tag: Asian Network
Ban foreign language imams – peer
Foreign imams who do not learn English should be banned from giving sermons in UK mosques, a Labour peer has said. Lord Ahmed’s comments come as a survey suggests imams lack professional and language skills to tackle the threat of radicalism among young British Muslims. Only 8% of imams preaching in British mosques were born in the UK, it found. Research at 300 mosques by Chester University for BBC News and the BBC Asian Network also indicated only 6% speak English as a first language. The report acknowledges the use of English is becoming more prevalent at Friday sermons but says more investigation is required to assess the frequency and quality.
Few UK imams ‘come from Britain’
Only eight per cent of imams preaching in British mosques were born in the UK, BBC-commissioned research suggests. The research, for BBC News and the BBC Asian Network, also suggests that only 6% of imams in Britain speak English as a first language. And almost 45% of imams have been in the UK for less than five years, the report adds.