A positive appraisal of UK immigration from the Open Society Institute

December 15 2009 by Liam Clifford

Muslim immigrants in the UK feel a greater sense of belonging than across the rest of Europe.

UK Muslims feel a greater sense of patriotism than their counterparts living in mainland Europe, according to an immigration study by the Open Society Institute.

In the UK OSI researchers focused on Leicester, which is on course to have a non-white majority by the next census in 2011, and Waltham Forest, east London, where high-profile counter-terrorist operations in 2006 angered and alienated some members of the borough's Muslim community.

They found that levels of patriotism were much higher among second-generation Muslims living in the UK than across Europe.

In Leicester, 72% of Muslims born abroad said they felt British and this figure rose to 94% among UK-born Muslims. This compares with 49% of Muslims who considered themselves French and 23% who felt German.

Nazia Hussain, director of the OSI project, said: "There is a disturbing message that emerges from these findings. Even though Muslims overwhelmingly feel British, they're not seen as British by wider society.

"That said, there has been a policy of trying to accommodate difference here and it appears to be paying off."

The study used information from more than 2,000 detailed interviews into the subject of immigration, carried out during a two-and-half-year period in addition to 60 focus groups in 11 cities across Europe with large Muslim communities.

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