British Arabs
العرب البريطانية
 
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Notable Arab Britons (From left to right):
Mika and Karima Adebibe |
| Total population |
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1,030,000+
(1.70% of the UK population)
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| Regions with significant populations |
| London, Birmingham, Manchester, Sheffield, Glasgow, Cardiff, Newcastle upon Tyne, Leeds, Derby |
| Languages |
| British English, Arabic |
| Religion |
| Islam, Christianity, Judaism |
| Related ethnic groups |
| 'Other Ethnic Group' (UK Census), Arabs |
British Arabs are people in the United Kingdom who were born in or have ancestry from the Arab world. In the 2001 UK Census, Arabs could identify themseleves under the codes 83 - Middle Eastern or 34 - Arab.
Most Arabs live in the Greater London area, and many are either businesspeople, recent immigrants or students.
History
The first Arabs to settle in Britain in sizeable numbers were Yemeni seafarers, reflecting the close political and economic ties that the British had developed with the Yemeni port of Aden in the 19th century. These migrants, who formed communities in several British port cities, were mostly men. Following the Second World War, more Yemenis arrived in Britain to work in the steel mills and factories in cities like Sheffield, and many of these were joined by families. The well-established Yemeni origin communities of Sheffield, Cardiff, Birmingham, and Liverpool, continue to be an important component of the Arab British population, growing in recent decades due to family reunification and to some refugee settlement following political crisis in Yemen in the 1990s. While still numerically significant, the Yemeni communities in Britain’s former industrial centres have been eclipsed by the diverse Arab community that has emerged mainly in London since the 1960s.[1]
Between 1997 and 2005, over 63,560 people from Arab countries, mainly Iraq and Algeria, with smaller numbers from Sudan, Libya, Syria, and Yemen, claimed asylum in Britain.[1] In 2002, on the eve of the US/UK invasion of Iraq, Iraqis alone represented 17 percent of total asylum applications in the UK.[1] These migrants have come as a result, on the one hand, of political turmoil and economic stagnation in the Arab world, and on the other hand, of opportunities for higher education and professional advancement in Britain, especially in medicine, engineering, technology, and business.[1] The main source countries, in descending order, are Iraq, Morocco, Lebanon, Algeria, Yemen and Syria. A recent survey showed data by country of birth, showing immigrants from the several of the main source countries—Iraq, Lebanon, and Syria—as professional academics in London. Results confirm 47 percent of Iraqis, 42.5 percent of Lebanese, and 43 percent of Syrians.[1]
Immigration data provide additional insights into Arab British communities by revealing the dynamics of population movements between the Arab world and Britain. Over the past decade, inflows from the Middle East to the UK generally have outweighed outflows from the UK to the Middle East. Between 1995 and 2004, net migration from the Middle East to the UK, based on place of last and next residence, has ranged from +3,300 to +20,500 per year, with the high point of migration taking place between 2001 and 2002.[1]
Education
One of the largest segments of the overall migrant population in Britain comprises students, with about 131,000 people coming to Britain in 2004 alone for formal study. This is about 7 percent of all foreign students in Britain’s higher education system. The data report commissioned by the Greater London Authority shows a disproportionately high representation of students among some Arab immigrant groups in London. While 9.5 percent of Londoners over the age of 16 are students, 32 percent of Kuwaitis, 40 percent of Omanis, and 50 percent of Saudis in London.[1]
Subgroups
Algerian
Algerian  |
60,000[2] |
Notable Algerian Britons
Egyptian
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| Egyptian |
147,102[3] |
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Notable Egyptian Britons
Iraqi
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| Iraqi |
250,000[4] |
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Main article: Iraqi Britons
Notable Iraqi Britons See: List of Iraqi Britons
Jordanian
Jordanian  |
11,000[5] |
Notable Jordanain Britons
Lebanese
-
Notable Lebanese Britons
- Zaki Chehab, Journalist
- Anissa Helou, Cook, Author
- Alexander Khateeb, Racing Driver
- Mika Half Lebanese, Singer
- Naeem Murr, Novelist
- Kym Ryder, Actress
- Samia Smith, Actress
- Sean Yazbeck, Businessman
- Dom Joly, comedian
Syrian
Notable Syrian Britons
Libyan
Notable Libyan Britons
Moroccan
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| Moroccan |
74,000[6] |
Moroccans number over 74,000 in the UK and are mostly located in London and the South East.
Notable Moroccan Britons
Palestinian
Notable Palestinian Britons
Saudi Arabian
Saudi Arabian  |
6,256[7] |
Sudanese
Sudanese  |
11,000[8] |
Notable Sudanese Britons
Yemeni
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Main article: Yemeni British
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| Yemeni |
30,000 - 40,000[9] |
Yemeni Britons are British citizens of Yemeni descent. There are an estimated 60,000 Yemenis in the United Kingdom, with the largest community living in Sheffield. Other communities exist in Cardiff, Birmingham, South Shields and London. A large number of Yemenis came to the UK to work in its major port cities in the early twentieth century. The community then began to move to inland cities such as Sheffield and Birmingham
Notable Yemeni Britons
References and notes
External Links (in English unless otherwise indicated)
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* People belonging to this ethnic group are as much Asian as they are White British (multiracials)
† Sometimes also cosidered European people
¤ Not from continental Asia but the country's population is significantly or predominantly Asian |
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