C: by-nc-nd Alecska @ Followthestory.net Creative Commons
Western imperialism colonised, expropriated, and exploited people of colour in the pursuit of wealth and power.The invasions were accompanied by an embedded barbaric slave system that became part of a hierarchical power structure of European and American countries, with Britain at the top.
With a post-World War II ravaged economy, the empire collapsing, and forced labour no longer an option, Britain turned to the Commonwealth’s Black and brown people to fill critical labour shortages.
However, on arrival, those who answered the call to rebuild the “motherland” were met with hostility, suspicion and two-tiered discrimination, some of which were not outlawed until 1965. Apart from certain segments of the media and remnants of power, much bigotry and xenophobia are not always obvious and thus frequently go unchecked within institutions and social norms.
The contrasting counter-terrorism treatment of two 15-year-old schoolgirls groomed for extremism is a prime example of how discrimination pervades even modern Britain’s criminal justice system.
Shamima Begum was trafficked to join Daesh in occupied and had her citizenship revoked by the government, preventing her from returning. In contrast, Rhianan Rudd was groomed by right-wing extremists but was eventually cleared of terrorism charges.
Is it coincidental that Shamima is brown and Muslim, while Rhianan was white? Both were born and raised in England, were known to security services as grooming victims, yet only one was treated as such, albeit tragically too late to prevent her suicide.
Such discrimination against Muslims has been found in several cases relating to counter-terrorism offences, compared with the prosecution and sentencing of increasing numbers of right-wing extremists.
The prejudice against Shamima, now 23, extends beyond the Home Office’s action to strip her of her nationality. In February 2020, a tribunal ruled that removing her citizenship was lawful, and a year later, the Supreme Court rejected an appeal to allow now effectively stateless Shamima to return to the UK to fight her case.
The mother of three deceased children is currently languishing in an armed guard’s camp in northern Syria, as she challenges the removal of her citizenship at a Special Immigration Appeals Commission.
Home Office documents shared with the court showed that Begum’s “de jure statelessness” was confirmed only the day before her citizenship was revoked.
“There is nothing in any of the home secretary’s evidence which suggests that consideration was given – prior to the deprivation decision being taken, or indeed at any time – to matters relating to de facto citizenship,” said Begum’s lawyer.
The UK has stripped more people of their citizenship in recent years than any other country apart from Bahrain, according to a report released by the Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion.
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