Cultural Diversity in the UK

The United Kingdom enjoys a special status in the world as a country that sees a
high amount of immigration. Much like the United States, the United Kingdom tends to
be a destination spot for people looking to begin a new and better life for themselves,
particularly from countries in Europe. According to the Wikipedia page detailing
Modern Immigration to the United Kingdom, Since 1945 the United Kingdom has seen
an influx of immigration, In particular from the Republic of Ireland, and form the former
colonies of the British Empire, such as India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, the Caribbean, South
Africa, Kenya, and Hong Kong (Wikipedia). This immigration does many things for the
UK, such as bring cheap labor ideas. However, some of the most important aspects that
this immigration brings is the cultural diversity that comes with it.
Cultural diversity, according to dictionary.com, is The cultural variety and
cultural differences that exist in the world, a society, or an institution (Dictionary). With
the influx of immigration into the United Kingdom the country is able to assimilate the
many different cultures into its own. For example, the large amount of Chinese
immigrants into London has led to the creation of a Chinatown, an area where Chinese
culture and customs are not only celebrated, they are the norm.

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Figure 1 This photo is indicative of the efforts to preserve the Muslim faith that has
made its way to the UK rather assimilate it into British culture
The UK celebrates this cultural diversity, doing much to ensure that the divisions are not
lost to cultural assimilation. Naturally, immigrants tends to clump together, such was the
case with Chinatown in London. Because of this, there are many neighborhoods that have
endemic populations of different cultures. Another way the UK tries to preserve the
cultural diversity of its people is by having laws that protect a persons right to have
these cultural differences. For example, the United Kingdom protects its citizens rights
to take part in any religion they wish. By doing this, the United Kingdom does not put
pressure on its people to accept any one religion and preaches tolerance. This is most
apparent with the rising Muslim population in the UK, which is right now at 4.5% of the
population, making it the second largest religion in the country behind Christianity.
(Islam in the United Kingdom.

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Figure 2 counties in England with the rate of Islamic growth

Works Cited:
CulturalDiversity.(n.d.).RetrievedNovember18,2015,from
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/culturaldiversity
IslamintheUnitedKingdom.(n.d.).RetrievedNovember18,2015,from
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_in_the_United_Kingdom
ModernImmigrationtotheUnitedKingdom.(n.d.).RetrievedNovember18,2015,from
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_immigration_to_the_United_Kingdom
Muslimpopulation'rising10timesfasterthanrestofsociety'(subdivisions,living)UnitedKingdom
CityDataForum.(n.d.).RetrievedNovember18,2015,fromhttp://www.citydata.com/forum/united
kingdom/558643muslimpopulationrising10timesfaster.html
UK:FuryasSchoolsToldtoTeachIslamInsteadofBritishHistory.(n.d.).RetrievedNovember18,2015,
fromhttp://www.dailystormer.com/ukfuryasschoolstoldtoteachislaminsteadofbritishhistory/