Opinion: The British Empire: A legacy of violence?
Author:
Shukri Zahid
Editor:
Saleem Ali
Publication:
Sage
Views:
4881
As far as the colonial and imperialist history of the British nation is concerned, it is a history of violence. This is the result of British imperial conquest and exploitation of the native peoples and cultures, which has resulted in the creation of the ‘Anglo Indian’ identity on the part of those who benefit from British rule.
It is also the result of British imperial violence against the Arab and the Muslim minorities in the region. As a result of this, a new identity – one which is in no way based on the British nationality but on a new identity of the ‘Britishness’ of the colonizer – has been created for the majority of the people, which has helped to promote ‘Muslim identity’. In addition, it has also created a false and distorted portrait of the British, not in the true sense but in the deceptive sense.
In modern times, one can witness how the British government has been instrumental in promoting the Muslim identity among many other things, especially with the formation of the ‘United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland’ and more recently with the birth of the ‘United Kingdom of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland’.
For many people, the British government is seen as a civilizing force as well as the British nation.
Even though the British government has promoted many other ideologies in the past, the identity of the ‘Britishness’ of the white and the British citizen is now the best identity to promote. When one thinks about the history of the Empire in the past, it is easy to see how powerful the British government is in this regard.
While the British empire was established based on a military and economic power, the British government is now the biggest force which promotes the ‘white, British and North Irish’ identity. The current Prime Minister of Britain is a woman – Theresa May – who is constantly promoting this identity.
Despite the fact that the British nation was established by the British government based on the ‘White British nationality’, the British government, particularly under Theresa May, has created a whole new meaning to this. The British government has been the biggest promoter of this identity
