Must read

Laban Tall seems to have found his way to the Pub Philosopher at about the same time as me tonight. In the comments there is a link to a very important review of community relations in Bradford just before the riots there a few years back. It was written by the council's race relations officer and paints a disturbing picture of how the asian community's attitude to the host country has changed in the second and third generations.

Immigrants come to a country expecting to change their lifestyles. They can and often do maintain key elements of their culture for generations, particularly their religion, but in many ways they adopt the dominant culture in such aspects as work, dress, leisure, housing and family composition. Colonists do not, they come into a country to displace the existing culture and establish their own. Colonists impose their language and customs. Once these facets are established, further incomers become immigrants accepting the society they enter.

From colonist to immigrant is the dominant pattern historically, however, this process seems to be thrown into reverse in Bradford.

Laban has written a very good precis of the report. Read the whole thing.