R ECENTLY, a British-born Muslim woman of South Asian origin challenged the British nationalist movement’s pledge to deport non-white people by telling them: ‘I am here because you were there.’ This powerful statement reminds us that migration cannot be separated from colonial history.
Britain colonised other lands, exploited their resources, and, in many cases, brought people to Britain to meet its labour needs. Many of their descendants were born and raised in Britain and are entitled to live there with dignity and equal rights.
The woman’s message is clear: we are here to stay, with equal rights and dignity.
But her defiance raises another question: what about our rights in our own lands? Across the Muslim world, authoritarian and corruptrulers continue to suppress their own people.
If a British-born Muslim woman can defend her rights in Britain, why can Muslim masses not demand their rights, dignity and freedom in their own countries? Abdul Quayyum Raja Amsterdam, the Netherlands