I am a British citizen, not a second-class citizen - By Jamal Osman

[Admin]

If you are British and think that every British citizen enjoys the same rights, my story and those of thousands of others should convince you otherwise.

I arrived in Britain in 1999 having fled the civil war in my home country, Somalia. My asylum application was approved a year later. During that time I was given accommodation and a weekly food voucher worth 35. For this I will always be grateful.

As soon as I was permitted to seek employment I started looking for a job. I worked in a laundry, a warehouse and as a taxi driver simply to survive. Later I trained to become a journalist.

I joined Channel 4 News as a reporter, largely covering Africa a role that required frequent travelling. And that is when my nightmare at the hands of Britain’s security services began. I have been detained, questioned and harassed almost every time I have passed through Heathrow airport. In 10 years, only one of my colleagues has been stopped.

During the past five years I have also been repeatedly approached by security services trying to “recruit” me. The incentives they offer range from a “handsome salary” or a “nice car” to a “big house”. I have even been told that they “could help me marry four wives”. I have declined all their offers. Their psychological tactics include telling me how easy it is for them to take away my British passport and destroy my career and even my life.

I have received regular phone calls from people I believe to be Special Branch, who invite me for a “chat over coffee”. “No thanks, I don’t drink coffee,” I reply.

As someone who appears on television regularly it is not unusual for strangers to greet you in the street or even ask questions about a particular story you’ve done. But the people who follow me on the street the spies (I call them “the Vauxhall guys”) have a different approach. After introducing themselves by their first names they declare their interest. Would I like a chat and a coffee. It won’t take long. Their hunting ground is London’s Victoria station, which I use regularly.

I go to the EU and British passport holders’ queue when returning through Heathrow airport; I observe with interest as fellow travellers file smoothly past border control. Yet when I approach, trouble always follows. “Where are you from?”, “How did you obtain a British passport?”, “Have you ever been in trouble with immigration?” I answer all their questions courteously and respectfully until the inevitable happens and the official says: “Take a seat, I will be back.”

Returning from my most recent trip, I took my regular seat near the control desk. Half an hour later a grey-suited man sat next to me.”Hello, how are you?” he asked. “Are you from Somalia? I hear from other Somalis that things are improving now. That is what I would like to talk to you about.”

I told him that I didn’t particularly want to talk about Somalia and that I just wanted to go home. “Don’t try and be difficult,” he snapped at me. “I’ll detain you if you don’t answer my questions.” And so it continued for another 15 minutes, during which he continued with his threats and with calling me an “idiot” and a “bad person”, claiming “you will die angry and the world would be a better place without people like you”. Finally he compared me to “the racist thugs we are fighting”.

If there is one thing I’ve learned from such encounters, it is that carrying a British passport doesn’t necessarily make you feel British. I came to this country to seek sanctuary. I am a multi-award winning journalist. I am an immigrant and a refugee but I am still made to feel like an asylum seeker.

I am a Muslim, an African and a Somali. And should the security services be reading this: I am a British citizen. Please treat me like one.

Jamal has won several awards including the Royal Television Society (RTS) Independent Award 2012, the Amnesty International Gaby Rado Memorial Award 2010, the news story of the year prize at the Foreign Press Association (FPA) Awards 2009; the prize for Kingston University News Reporter of the Year 2009; was nominated for the FPA Sports Award 2011, the RTS Independent Award 2010; Amnesty International Media Awards 2009; Rory Peck Impact Award 2009

http://www.somaliaonline.com/i-am-a-british-citizen-not-a-second-class-citizen-by-jamal-osman/

[DoctorKenney]

There's definitely a trend in Europe now, where society is becoming more nationalistic and right-wing. They oppose immigration and some Politicians are even proposing to deport all "foreigners" from their countries, even the ones who hold a citizenship!

 

There's a movement where they want France to remain purely French, Spain to remain purely Spanish, England purely English, etc. And then expel all Africans and Asians from their countries.

 

It's a rather small movement, but it's grown immensely in the past decade. And I can only see it getting worse with time.

[Khayr]

We will always be viewed as "second class citizens" in non-native lands. A British passport will not change your "Muslim DNA". It really doesn't offer any protection nor privilege to Somalis.

Yeah, you can try to travel around the world but at each airport, you still will be a potential suspect and pulled from the queue, awaiting for an ever impending investigation on your "Muslim DNA".

[DoctorKenney]

A Somali Muslim who moves to South Korea and becomes a citizen and then obtains the Korean passport, will never ever be a Korean, no matter what.

 

They couldn't care at all about his passport. He's not Korean. He never will be.

 

The same goes for Britain

[Alpha Blondy]

<cite>

@DoctorKenney

said:</cite>

A Somali Muslim who moves to South Korea and becomes a citizen and then obtains the Korean passport, will never ever be a Korean, no matter what.

 

They couldn't care at all about his passport. He's not Korean. He never will be.

 

The same goes for Britain

 

what about a Somali Muslim?

 

will he/she ever become an Arab?

 

 

[Khayr]

<cite>

@Alpha Blondy

said:</cite>

what about a Somali Muslim?

 

will he/she ever become an Arab?

 

Your premise that Arabs don't consider us Arab citizens in their lands and therefor; they are worse, is invalid because it assumes that Arabs and say in this case, the Colonial Brits, are making the same claim - claim of citizenship and equality.

 

Arab nations and in particular Gulf nations don't promise you citizenship and becoming their equals.

 

On the otherhand, the Brits have promised citizenship and equality to all those that migrate to their country and "empires" as a whole.

 

There is an inherent hypocrisy with the latter.

 

 

[Alpha Blondy]

<cite>

@Khayr

said:</cite>

Your premise that Arabs don't consider us Arab citizens in their lands and therefor; they are worse, is invalid because it assumes that Arabs and say in this case, the Colonial Brits, are making the same claim -

claim of citizenship and equality.

 

Arab nations and in particular Gulf nations don't promise you citizenship and becoming their equals.

 

On the otherhand, the Brits have promised citizenship and equality to all those that migrate to their country and "empires" as a whole.

 

There is an inherent hypocrisy with the latter.

 

inaadeero gacaliye,

 

wa si wanaagsan. thanks for that grasping for breath sort of explanation.

 

what does Jamal want?

 

 

 

[Abu-Salman]

 

The brother Jamal may simply be more "practising" or with basic Islamic learning unlike other Somali or Muslim journalists...it's often recent reverts or the islamically illiterate that are prey to radicalisation but prejudiced ignorance is hard to resist (and they may feel easier to express their racism towards the more practising ones).

[Nin-Yaaban]

Jamal Osman seems like he accomplished a lot in life...if he has spooks making offers for houses, cars and nice paycheck. LooL. Thats nothing to complain about

 

Too bad the Feds here in the U.S don't do such a thing, I guess i am stuck in my minimum wage job until they come knocking and offering me to become a spy. And then it would be.....'Halkee saxiixa' (where do i sign).

[Khayr]

<cite>

@Nin-Yaaban

said:</cite>

Jamal Osman seems like he accomplished a lot in life...if he has spooks making offers for houses, cars and nice paycheck. LooL. Thats nothing to complain about

 

Too bad the Feds here in the U.S don't do such a thing, I guess i am stuck in my minimum wage job until they come knocking and offering me to become a spy. And then it would be.....'Halkee saxiixa' (where do i sign).

 

Funny thing, I never knew that they had layed you off

in the first place based on your

posts.

[Holac]

Too bad the Feds here in the U.S don't do such a thing, I guess i am stuck in my minimum wage job until they come knocking and offering me to become a spy. And then it would be.....'Halkee saxiixa' (where do i sign).

 

lool. NinYaaban you are funny.