Racism, systemic racism, media

Why Immigrant Professionals turn to Terrorism

By Ron Banerjee

Wednesday, September 5, 2007

Pundits have recently expressed amazement that the latest UK terror attacks involved doctors. Those who insist that terror is a result of poverty and racism have had their illusions shattered.

It should not escape anyone's notice that Chinese and Hindus are non white and also suffer from prejudice, yet have not been involved in terrorism in Britain or elsewhere.

The latest incidents indicate that the attempted alleviation of 'racism' through affirmative action increases resentment on all sides. For instance, Professor Ali of Baghdad University reported that Dr Abdullah was allowed to graduate with good grades because he was a troublemaker and the university wanted to get rid of him. Despite this, he was allowed to practice medicine in the UK. This may be related to persistent Islamic allegations of racism in British professions.

Leftist media in Canada have also spouted indignation over alleged 'systemic racism', resulting in under-employment of 'skilled professional' immigrants. PhDs and doctors hailing from locales like Iraq and Pakistan delivering pizzas is alleged to be a stinging indictment of society's prejudices.

Indeed, this situation does exist and it is an indictment against Canada. It is an indictment not of our failure to offer 'suitable employment', but of immigration authorities who fail to assess credentials properly at the point of entry.

Canadian immigration under the Liberals has involved preferential treatment to those groups who tend to vote Liberal en masse, as opposed to those who are most suited for employment here. Corruption within the ranks of Immigration Canada is an established fact: in 2004, Diane Serre, a senior manager, and four others were charged for accepting bribes from Arab immigrants.

Canada, like Britain, imports people with dubious qualifications as 'skilled immigrants', who then demand employment that they are not qualified for.

Statistics appear to suggest that Canada sources immigrants from the wrong regions. Author Annalee Saxena reports America's famed Silicon Valley is dominated by Taiwanese and Indian immigrants, while Indian Hindus enjoy the highest income in the US. And yet, Canadian census statistics show that proportionately, immigrants from India and Taiwan are under-represented compared to nations like Pakistan.

Even within India, there are regions which are unsuitable for supplying needed skills. Many Indian immigrants to Canada are Sikhs hailing from Punjab, which is a wealthy agricultural state in India. This area is less industrialized and does not have the high tech skills of other regions.

The Indian doctor accused in the terror trial is Muslim, and some Indian universities themselves employ affirmative action policies to benefit minority groups at the expense of the Hindu majority.

The alleged mistreatment of 'professionals' is a product of importing people from regions with inadequate educational systems. Employers have to deal with so many substandard resumes that a backlash against all immigrant applicants occurs, even those with good skills. Visible minority applicants raised in Canada also have to deal with the overall negativity generated.

Media and politicians do their part to whip up resentment against Canadian employers and society, instead of placing the blame on corrupt and politically-motivated immigration authorities.

It is only a matter of time before a terror attack is launched by one of these 'professionals', furious because of alleged 'Islamophobia' from Canadian employers. Or he may be an employed professional upset with the latent hostility exuded by co workers who despise the affirmative action which employed him.

The cycle will then continue: leftist parties and media will decry our 'racism' and demand more special 'programs' to help employ people from that community. This will only increase resentment, and things will deteriorate further.

The only way to break out of this cycle is to restrict immigration to qualified immigrants from reputable universities in democracies where people share our values. Favoritism towards communities and forcing employers to hire and promote the under-qualified will only make things worse.

Ron Banerjee is the director of the Hindu Conference of Canada. He can be reached at letters@canadafreepress.com.