“Rights
Report Reveals: Millions of Muslims in Britain at Risk of Citizenship
Revocation”
Two human rights
organizations revealed in a recent report that millions of Muslims in Britain
are facing the risk of losing their citizenship due to the significant
expansion of powers granted to British authorities to revoke nationality.
The report, prepared
by the UK-based Runnymede Trust, which focuses on combating racism and
inequality, together with the non-governmental organization Reprieve, stated
that around 9 million people in the United Kingdom are legally at risk of
having their citizenship revoked, according to estimates issued by the British
Home Secretary.
The report explained
that this figure represents approximately 13% of the country’s total
population, noting that these powers are applied disproportionately to
communities with high Muslim population densities.
The two
organizations confirmed that current practices have a greater impact on
communities of South Asian, Middle Eastern, and African descent, considering
that these policies have turned into a “systemic threat” targeting Muslim
communities in Britain.
The report pointed
out that, under the laws currently in force, British citizenship can be revoked
even if an individual has no actual connection to another country, provided
they are deemed legally eligible to obtain its nationality.
It noted that
individuals with ties to countries such as Pakistan, Bangladesh, Somalia, and
Nigeria, in addition to regions of North Africa and the Middle East, are among
the groups most vulnerable to this risk.
According to the
report, three out of every five non-white individuals are at risk of losing
their citizenship, compared to one out of every twenty among white Britons.
The report also
revealed that more than 200 people have been stripped of their British
citizenship since 2010 on grounds related to the “public interest,” the vast
majority of whom were Muslims.
It further
highlighted the Nationality and Borders Act passed in 2022, explaining that it
grants authorities the right to revoke citizenship without prior notice.
In conclusion, the
two organizations called for an immediate halt to citizenship revocation
procedures, the repeal of the relevant provision in British nationality law,
and the full restoration of rights to individuals whose citizenship was
withdrawn under these powers.
(Source:
Agencies)
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