ABSTRACT
The Muslim population in Great Britain is in a unique situation in Europe as regards its civil and political rights. In accordance with the 1948 law on nationality, valid until 1983, any person born on the territory of the United Kingdom and its colonies has British citizenship, and any citizen of the Commonwealth, also called a British subject had the opportunity to register as a British citizen after one year's residence in the UK. Muslims in Britain are operating in a particular context with a particular history of imperial relations and Church/State relations. The non-separation of the Church and the state has also created a space within which they can advance Muslim demands. Indeed, self-help is evident at every level amongst Muslims in Birmingham. All the measures of deprivation which apply nationally are also true for Birmingham Pakistanis and Bangladeshis, but often the statistics conceal high levels of achievement, too.
