As a Muslim activist, refugee, and advocate for asylum seekers, I am really happy Channel 4 took the initiative to make a documentary series on the reality base which 80% of asylum seekers face while coming to the UK.
Unfortunately, because many countries in conflict and war have no safe routes, they have to endure dangerous routes and transport to arrive in the UK.
I came to the UK in 2018 by visa. During my six years of asylum journey in the UK, I have never heard so many hateful words and headlines in different newspapers as I have witnessed over the last three years. In the worst, we saw various riots become violent and aggressive during July 2024, a quite alarming situation for all ethnic minorities.
During these riots the chants we heard from the far-right protesters included “Go back to where you came from”, “They took our jobs”, and “They are illegal”.
Lived experiences
Bushra, a Channel 4 participant, spoke about her experience of being bullied in the UK, of being called “Paki” or “Jihadi”. “It’s continued from generation to generation…”, she added “…they don’t like brown people at all.”
For the series, six people took a journey from England. Three visited Syria, and three visited Somalia to experience the reasons why people leave these countries, and which routes they have as options to reach the UK, as they don’t have any safe routes like people from Ukraine or Hong Kong. Although resettlement schemes have been created for Afghanis and Syrians, these have not been successful.
The series highlighted some harsh realities in both countries. The six met different families in Somalia and Syria, asking questions to understand their challenges while living in ruins, derelict houses and temporary camps.
In each country the families opened up the harsh realities which Western news channels and journalists fail to address and highlight, although immigration is always a hot topic for debate and media headlines.
The visits also highlighted the different groups fighting in Syria and Somalia.
I appreciated that part for highlighting key information, when Jess, one of the group, sat with a Somalian family. They had a conversation where Somalian women talked about forced marriage, rape, and the practice of female genital mutilation in Somalia, where women are seen primarily as bearers of children. This was a very strong conversation which they want people in the West to know about.
Many women who seek asylum in the UK are the victims of gender-based violence, domestic abuse, trafficking, sexual exploitation, and torture. They have often fled persecution, war, forced marriage or other forms of oppression, seeking safety and protection.
How scary?
In the case of Syria, a tourist destination in the past, 96% of people are below the poverty line, many with no water or electricity, in houses in a horrific condition. Many people there are earning only $1 a day.
Don’t we all agree this breaches the standards of basic human rights?
They might also be woken from sleep because their life was in danger.
But the programmes failed to highlight that for the normal Syrian they might not wake up next day, or wake up to find themselves in hospital, or to the sounds of bombs rather than birds.
In addition, we heard the narrative ‘Syria is scary’. Syria is not scary: the involvement of foreign countries and their greed made the country scary. Many Syrians failed to open up their real identity because they would be misjudged by other groups in Syria.
Moreover, Syrians in Lebanon face severe risks, including robbery or murder if out after 8pm, and deportation if found without papers.
It’s the harsh reality that many Syrians went through before they arrived in the UK. They have no choice left but to take dangerous routes.
Abuse in Europe and the UK
On the other hand, the programme failed to highlight that asylum seekers entering various European countries get robbed, abused and face many injuries.
We have seen Chloe, a character of very strong anti-immigrant ideology, calling every time Muslim hijabi and burqa women in the UK are highlighted. She does not want to see the streets filled with hijabi and burqa women in the next few years.
I felt sad for her. She failed to understand that the hijab is not a representation of Muslims; it’s a history of many religions and different cultures, including Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism.
She said many times: “The UK has nothing to do with Syrians and many countries in conflict.”
But the UK played an important role in colonialism in many countries, including the Middle East, Asia and Africa.
Furthermore, while they were in the hospital visiting victims and survivors of an attack, she had no shame having a difficult and racist conversation in the middle of the hospital corridor.
It is worth noting that, for many refugees, between the mountains and the Channel crossing, these are times of life and death. Chloe was enjoying it like she was on vacation. That’s how people mostly looked at the asylum seekers’ journeys.
While recording, the programme makers had their medical team, security guards, food, and their mobiles to connect with any person. Most of the refugees have travelled without basic medicine, food, money, or shoes and clothing suitable to the weather. They have been robbed and injured. They put their last will in their pockets in case they die during the journey to the UK and have to be identified.
The character Jess doesn’t want to see her front garden full of the immigrant people in the hotels. She later revealed that at the age of 16 she was sexually assaulted. Because of her past trauma she was traumatised to see in front of her house a lot of men from hotels.
We deeply empathise with every woman who has experienced this pain, yet we do not hold immigrants responsible for past events.
Hotels, but no luxury
One major point Channel 4 failed to highlight here, is that many people believe asylum seekers and refugees live a luxury life in hotels.
I know that many new refugees and asylum seekers currently living in hotels are not having their basic needs met there.
In the episodes one character said, “We can’t help everybody even if we agree they are genuine immigrants with real tragedies and stories.”
While it’s true that we can’t help everyone, that shouldn’t stop us from helping those we can. We should not abandon those who are seeking safety. Small actions can have a big impact, and collective effort can change lives.
To sum up, I am really looking forward to Channel 4 in the future critically examining the UK’s asylum policies. The real issue lies in the systemic injustices of the asylum process, indefinite detention, inhumane hotel accommodation, the threat of deportation, and the dehumanisation of those seeking refuge. We need more episodes to cover other countries.
I urge future documentary makers on asylum seekers to engage with both new and experienced asylum seekers in the UK for a more authentic portrayal.
It is worth mentioning here that I had a successful photography exhibition titled Asylum: A Long and Painful Process, with the theme We All Came Here From Somewhere.
Four hundred people attended the preview event to hear directly from those with lived experiences. The exhibition played a vital role in changing many people’s perceptions. As a result, the charity organisation started receiving a significant increase in donations, and many individuals expressed interest in volunteering. Moreover, several people were inspired to develop new project ideas focused on supporting asylum seekers and refugees.
Many people are seeking a bridge to engage in conversations with immigrants to clear misunderstandings. We must continue creating meaningful platforms and events where such discussions can take place, helping to build a peaceful and inclusive community.
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