Earlier this month, several clashes occurred between South Asian youths and British police in the several northern cities of England, most prominently Bradford. These were mostly children of Pakistani immigrants and Bangladeshis, and apparently did not involve those of Indian origin. Although the reasons for the riots are complex, they do provide a peek into the differing dynamics of the Pakistani immigrant communities in the United States and Britain.
It is not entirely accurate to use the term “race riot” as technically speaking both South Asians and White Brits are “Caucasoid” in terms of race, although with obvious differences in skin shading. But even in South Asia, skin color varies quite widely, with some so pale as to easily be mistaken as European while others quite dark. Prejudice based on skin color is not absent from any part of the world, including South Asia. But when communities mix under the widespread immigration of the last 50 years, these prejudices are given new fuel that wasn’t present before.
Many European countries were quite critical of America’s treatment of Blacks in the immediate post-World War II period, but this was done from the comfort of having no racial minorities of their own to speak of. Now many European countries have right wing political parties that oppose immigration and are ultra-nationalistic. These are active in Belgium, France, and Italy, and Austria. Germany, for reasons of its Nazi past, has quashed any attempt for these types of groups to form. Britain, which has allowed immigration to the extent that Black and Brown citizens now make up 5% of the population, has been fairly hospitable in comparison. The well-known English politician Enoch Powell, who warned in the 1960’s that immigration would lead to race riots and “rivers of blood”, was mostly ignored.
However, in the last few years, Britain has been having the stirrings of a racist/nationalist party called the British National Party (BNP). This small party has yet to win a seat in Parliament, but has garnered some votes in working class neighborhoods. It plays to the fears of Whites over lost jobs and “excessive” government benefits paid to immigrants. It was plans by the BNP to hold marches and rallies in cities with large Pakistani populations that led to clashes and riots as Pakistani youths attempted to disrupt and harass the would-be demonstrators.
Although it is natural to sympathize with the South Asians who wish to interfere with the racist BNP, the deeper issues are even more troubling. How did the Pakistani community get into such a situation as to be involved in a race riot? Could we even imagine a race riot of Pakistani youths in the United States? Utterly impossible. This shows how different the two immigrant communities have become.
In the United States, the Pakistani community is prosperous, well educated, and geographically scattered. There are no towns or cities where we make up more than a small fraction of the population. To be on welfare would be almost unimaginable and shameful for someone in our community here. Our children are highly educated, and on average do better in school than the typical white American child. Success in our community is increasingly judged by one’s success in the broader American system. The community is both physically and culturally integrated into the American fabric. Although many of us visit Pakistan, the pressure of careers and the extreme distance keeps such visits to a minimum. Many of these elements reflect the fact that the Pakistani-American community was formed mostly by college and advanced educated Pakistanis that immigrated to the United States to do highly skilled labor.
The Pakistani community in Britain is rather different. Although there are large number of Pakistani physicians and other professionals who have gone to Britain over the years, the main source of immigrants were of the unskilled and poorly educated sort. Many came in the 1960’s to work in the mill towns of Midlands and the north of England. These towns were full of booming textile factories in the 1960’s and needed labor, which was often supplied by immigrants. Many of the Pakistanis came from Mirpur villages that were flooded out of existence due to dam building.
The community did well for a while, but when Britain’s textile industry collapsed, the community did not respond well to the challenge. Mass unemployment ensued, and many ended up on long term government relief. The community has to a large extent remained mired in low socioeconomic status.
Because of the small size of England, the Pakistani community was able to physically concentrate, with many cities having large sections that are almost a Pakistani enclave, where one doesn’t even need knowledge of English language. Education is sadly neglected, and Pakistani children are the worst performing in British schools. In contrast, Indian children are the best performing, even better than White Britishers. These educational failures bode even worse for the future.
Britain’s Pakistanis also try to hold onto Pakistani culture to a much greater extent than is done in the United States. They fly back to Pakistan more often, and arranged marriages with native Pakistanis is more common than here. The frequency of these trips can disrupt the education of children to some extent.
The thugs of the BNP deserve nothing but contempt. But unless Britain’s Pakistanis take care of themselves, they will not be viewed as an asset by the majority of Britain. The first step is to emphasize the importance of education for their children.