In chapter 2 of Concepts and Countries by Michael G. Roskin we are exposed to Britain’s past and its effects today. British society , like the U.S society, is split along racial and religious lines. This problem began as a legacy of empire. In 1948 Britain legally made the natives of their colonies British subjects. This meant that their subjects were entitled to live and work in the United Kingdom. In the 1940’s through the 1960’s , U.K’s colonies were granted independence, however as members of the British Commonwealth , the people of the colonies were still entitled to immigrate to Britain. In the 1950’s many West Indians from the Caribbean and Indians and Pakistanis arrived to the U.K and took many lowly jobs that Britons did not want. For years they labored and sent for their relatives, until Britain’s textile industry closed. This left 1.6 million muslims unemployed and white resentment growing.
Roskin explains the two forces that keep Muslims segregated: “discrimination by whites and muslim effort to preserve their faith and culture”. Also to British racists, Muslim women in full-face veils has become an irritant. In a current article by Huffingtonpost.com, it shows the type of racism people face everyday while doing normal daily things. A cashier was insulted with words like, “go on, you Muslim die” by a customer. This article shows the type of racism that people go through.
Britain like the U.S deals with immigration. However, Roskin points out that the U.S. handles immigration better than the U.K. because “its populated with immigrants or their descendants”. 