Immigration, faith and cohesion

Aims

The research examined the factors that contribute to or undermine community cohesion in local areas with significant numbers of recent Muslim migrants and established Muslim residents.

Methodology

The report is based on semi-structured interviews with 319 Muslim and non-Muslim migrants and longer-term established residents in Birmingham, Newham and Bradford; and qualitative interviews with policy-makers and service providers in each of the local areas and at a national level undertaken between January 2006 and June 2007.

Key issues

The research examines findings from interviewees who included people from 40 countries with a range of immigration statuses; 72% were Muslim; and 112 were from Bradford. Issues covered include inequality [unemployment, occupation and religious and race discrimination]; places of interaction [length of residence, perception of neighbourhoods, space and interaction and support and kinship networks]; participation in the public sphere [political and civic engagement, perceptions of influence on decision-making], and belonging [transnational involvement, integration, perceptions of belonging in Britain]. The report also presents findings from local and national policy-makers and service providers on understandings of community cohesion.

Conclusions

Conclusions are offered to each of the key study areas, which include the importance of family ties or work for choice of locality; the significance of colleges, workplaces and family responsibilities for fostering social interaction; the need for English classes to be considered in community cohesion work, and that transnational attachment does not need to be a barrier to integration in the UK.

Recommendations

Suggestions for improving community cohesion work and policy are included throughout the text.