The Study Of Muslim Immigrants And Their Social Integration In The UK

Very small number of Muslims have immigrated into the UK since the17th century. While the real large-scale of Muslim immigrants in the UK began after World War II. Under full scale construction, the UK government recruited foreign labor actively in order to plug gaps in its labor force. As Muslims have become the largest non-native ethnic group in the UK, their social integration problem attracted wide attention from academic circles and the society.This paper uses methods of documentary research, empirical data research and theoretical research to analyze the population, immigration history, isolation and conflict, integration, the contradiction of national and religious identity of Muslims of the UK. Education of Muslim immigrants and their offspring is not optimistic, and the suffering of social discrimination in the labor market, continued high unemployment, isolated living patterns, limited political participation and the differences of language, religious belief and the concept of traditional culture hinder the communication with the mainstream society. So they aren’t really integrated into the mainstream society. At the same time, discrimination and attack from local people of the UK lead to an alarming survival situation that Muslims gradually formed an isolated "parallel society". Because these immigrant problems have brought severe challenges into the society, the government begins to face the huge immigrant groups and set about solving integration problems by implementing multiculturalism policy, Muslims also make effort to integrate with the mainstream society actively, and then they have made some achievement. While the essence of multiculturalism is conniving and solidifying the difference of diverse cultures, which may triggers the risk of radicalization of Muslims of the UK. The occurrence of the London terrorist bombings in2005not only highlight the defects of multiculturalism policy, but also expose the gaps, conflict and deep contradiction between Muslims and the mainstream society. In addition, the crisis of double identity is deep reason of Muslim immigrants’integration dilemma. On the one hand, they get identity of Islam from religious characteristics and as a response to rejection and discrimination by mainstream society, they strengthened the identity. On the other hand, they try to make efforts to integrate into the mainstream society actively, foster national identity and at the same time be accepted by the mainstream society. Especially these young Muslims face discrimination from the UK when they build their identity, which easily be instigated and used by international terrorism and trigger potential security threats to the society.By these lights, this paper discusses the possible ways to realize Muslims’ integration of the UK from aspects of value orientation, policy, education, cultural dialogue and the cultivation of identity. Undoubtedly, the process of Muslims’ integration in the UK will be beset with a lot of difficulties. However the realization of Muslim immigrants live in harmony with the mainstream society is their common expectations. It not only need the effect of the UK government, but also need local people and Muslims’introspection, hard working and cooperation. Besides favorable policies, language and national education development, we should also set up the inclusiveness value orientation, implement cultural dialogue equally, foster national identity and give the new identity of "European Muslim". Of course, it will experience a long and tortuous process.