Muslims in the UK: From the Eighteenth to the Twentieth Century

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In their song ‘‘Debris’’, the group Asian Dub Foundation mentions being destroyed and conquered by imperial forces. They also state that their underdevelopment was caused by colonial injustices, that they refer to as ‘‘abuse’’. The name of the song represents the fact that nations have been torn by colonialism, which continues to affect them up until the present day. Furthermore, the song emphasizes the fact that colonialism led Westerns states to be ‘‘developed’’, while causing ‘‘underdevelopment’’ in colonized countries.
According to Visram, British people would bring racialized people to the United Kingdom because they did not want to leave behind a favorite, faithful servant. They also wanted to recreate the nostalgic splendor of Indian life in England. Furthermore, they needed people to take care of their children (Visram, 12). Finally, Indian servants were cheaper and more reliable than European ones (Visram, 13). Although they were technically free men and women, there were many instances of cruel treatment toward Indian servants (Visram, 15). Many of them who could not endure this mistreatment ran away from the families they worked for (Visram, 16). In some instances, contracts were not respected, which left Indian people stranded in England with no way to back to India (Visram, 21-22). As mentioned earlier, these servants were technically free men and women. However, they were treated as chattel. They were brought to England entirely for the convenience of their masters. They had no security. Most of the time, they did not have a contract of employment (Visram, 16). Once they had arrived in England, they were often discharged and left to fend for themselves (Visram, 17). There are even examples of Indian people begging in the streets, as they had no other way to acquire money (Visram, 18).
Gilliat-Ray and Mellor describe anti-Arab racism and Islamophobia in twentieth-century England, specifically toward Yemenis, Somalis and Arabs (Gilliat-Ray and Mellor, 456). They mention that many Muslims adopted European lifestyle and deviated from their traditional cultures (Gilliat-Ray and Mellor, 457). However, they were still victims of racism and Islamophobia. This kind of hatred is different to modern racism/Islamophobia, as nowadays people who Westernize themselves and abandon their original cultures are seen as ‘‘model minorities’’. The people who hold onto their religion and traditions are the ones who are perceived as problematic. On top of the racism that Muslim immigrants were facing, there were also rivalries between Yemenis and Somalis, specifically in relation to mosque-building projects. This created tensions and disputes between different groups (Gilliat-Ray and Mellor, 461). Although Muslim immigrants faced discrimination, as mentioned earlier, certain White women would interact with them, or even marry them. Most of them belonged to lower social classes. Due to their relationships with Muslim men, they were estranged from their parents. Through their marriages, they had greater autonomy and responsibility in their daily lives and household management, because their husbands were often away for long periods of time due to their jobs (Gilliat-Ray and Mellor, 468). However, these marriages were also beneficial for Muslim men, as their wives would act as interlocutors in relation to institutions such as housing, offices, the Labour Exchange, or the Shipping Federation. Thus, they could secure opportunities for their husbands (Gilliat-Ray and Mellor, 470).