Date

5-2018

Document Type

Capstone Project (Open Access)

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)

Department

Social, Behavioral & Global Studies

Abstract

I learned the history of Muslim in Britain. Many of the Muslims immigrated to Britain many years ago from their homeland to seek a better life. The majority are from South Asia and Africa. When these immigrants arrived in their new home the British were uncomfortable with the idea of a new religion in their country. This caused tension between the Muslims and British community which is mainly Christian. The tension arose because of the lack of shared values between the two communities. Religion is a big part of their lives and it is evident that they are proud of it. Many British had negative comments to say about the Muslims that had arrived in their country. This issue caused segregation between the two communities. Many of the Muslims were suffering because they couldn't find employment to support their families. In addition to discrimination and racism. This made them feel like they were unwelcome and insecure about their identities.

One theme I discussed was homegrown terrorism. Many young Muslims in Britain toften experience discrimination because of their religion have turned to terrorist activity. The reason being is that they feel as though they are not accepted as Muslims among the rest of the British. When they join terrorist groups, they feel like they have a home in which they belong. In addition, when they participate in terrorist activities, they have been brainwashed to believe that they are doing it for the good of the world. Unfortunately, this issue has resulted too many terrorist attacks in Britain. Majority of the individuals that have committed terrorist acts in Britain were born and raised there. These individuals were born and raised in Britain but have decide to turn against their country.

Through my findings I have also discovered that young Muslims in Britain struggle with their identity because they haven't found a balance of being Muslim and a modern Westerner. The reason why is because their religion and the liberal British society can sometimes clash because there are no shared values. Some things in the British society maybe be found acceptable such as revealing clothing, drinking, smoking, nightclubs or social events. These are activities that many young people in the West enjoy doing so it can very conflicting for young Muslims who also want to participate in these activities because they also want to maintain their traditional Muslim values. When these individuals do try to find a balance they sometimes get judged by the Muslim community and the British community as well. The Muslim community will view them as not behaving like a true Muslim and the British community will make them feel like an outsider. It is almost impossible for them to get the best of both worlds.

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