Mar 22, 20237 min read

Migration, Identity and Social Cohesion

The world is experiencing the highest rate of population displacement on record. UNHCR’s figures before the Ukraine war indicated that in 2022 there were 281 million international migrants, of which there are 26.4 million refugees.1 There’s every indication that, in the near future, climate change -- the primary driver of migration -- will exacerbate the refugee situation, in addition to wars, conflict, and political instability.

If we set aside the political consideration and arguments for taking up refugees and migrants we are confronted by the reality that, despite any hostile response by receiving nations, the movement of the population is inexorable and happening on our doorstep. Governments, despite their best efforts, are powerless to adequately anticipate or manage immigration numbers. It would be expedient to look at how any benefit can be derived since migration has been a fact of life throughout history, having changed and continuing to change global society. Can we, in fact, do this better or with some greater sense of purpose?

For instance, policies and government strategies related to refugees and migrants are predominantly concerned with “access to jobs, accommodation, welfare benefits, health, education, and language services and to some extent to encourage community participation.” While such considerations are important there is rarely any discussion or emphasis on how the emotional needs of a population - often traumatised and bewildered by a sudden change in their circumstances - can be met. What processes will facilitate their integration into the new society and culture they encounter? What does a successful strategy entail and what impact does it have on the welfare of the nation as a whole?

It is often the case that immigrants, in search of their lost identity, are attracted to any familiar mirage that is reflective of their culture. In time, many organize into fragmented communities that live in close proximity to the general population but never fully integrate or feel part of their adopted country. Such voluntary segregation could ironically be viewed as a cry and a desire for belonging and a mechanism to cope with new circumstances. Self-imposed isolation could be misunderstood by the host nation as resistance to integration, and aggravate an arbitrary divide.

One of the desirable outcomes of any integration strategy is to strengthen social cohesion and interconnectivity between diverse groups within a society. These processes are inherently connected to the issue of individual and group identity, and would benefit from understanding the nature of identity and belonging. Only then is it possible to foster a sense of collective responsibility that is born of shared identity.

In a world in rapid transition, every crisis and upheaval provides an opportunity to refine our understanding of human identity which is ever-evolving. Amartya Sen, Nobel Prize recipient, makes a poignant contribution in that respect:

This presumption of a “unique and choiceless identity,” that they are what they are because they have been born into a certain ethnic, cultural or religious inheritance, is an “illusion” that underlies many of the “conflicts and barbarities in the world.”3

Sociological research now acknowledges that the individual is shaped by multiple identities which are not static. Identity, belonging, and an acceptance of societal responsibilities are closely related and feed each other. It is fair to say religion is an important phenomenon that can profoundly shape the identity of its adherents, and it follows that faith communities have something powerful to offer. Religion can transcend cultural, racial, and national identity and become a potent unifying force.

My own experience of integration into British society, coming here from Iran, was strongly influenced by the tenets of my Faith. It taught me that, in essence, one’s higher nature [or as some may call it one’s spiritual identity] binds and connects humanity, a principle encapsulated in the Bahá’i Writings as the oneness of humankind. The dignity of humanity derives its legitimacy from the broadened realisation of a spiritual identity that encompasses all other identities imposed on us by any accidental circumstances of birth or geography.

Upheaval and crisis arise when our varied identities interact with a world that is in a gradual transition towards a new civilisation. Bahá’is believe that humanity will be propelled, by forces beyond our control, toward even greater integration - not ultimately through commerce or self-serving considerations - but through evolution to a state that is fully conscious of its oneness, akin to the limbs and organs of a body that, while distinct, act in unison for the betterment of the whole.

In my own experience of integration, I could see that my identity was engaging and interacting with the immediate society in which I lived. And it was clear to me that consciousness of a broader identity and loyalties to an adopted country was directly related to the well-being of society and the wider world. That understanding reconciled any conflict or illusion between multiple identities, elevating my sense of responsibility to a new level that embraced personal, societal, and global goals in one objective.

Of huge assistance in that respect were the British Bahá’i Community and its diversity, a religious community composed of people from varied backgrounds including British Bahá’i families of two or three generations. Those families were proud of their Britishness but caught a glimpse of a future global civilisation through the teachings of the Baha’i Faith.

In addition, the experience of being welcomed by the indigenous British Bahá’i Community, and receiving the utmost love and respect, was helpful in providing the much-needed confidence to visualise myself as part of the UK society, while overlooking the negative forces of prejudice I encountered in wider society. A strong spiritual connection also heightened my awareness in striving to channel my energy in the right direction, to become a peaceful protagonist, and to work towards the elimination of barriers to unity. Free from the bonds of supremacy imposed by any misplaced national identity, I sought to share some aspects of my inherited culture in the spirit of humility, and absorb and appreciate new values and traditions from my adopted country.

Having been nurtured in a loving Bahá’i community, I learned to identify and appreciate positive and altruistic forces in the UK and align my aspirations with those communal efforts. Although not abandoning any beneficial values or cultural practices I was conscious not to let related emotions detract from the unifying power that comes with the realisation of our common human identity, paving the way for unity in diversity.

Many migrants struggle to discover a meaningful identity in their new environment, and it’s likely that their resolve to integrate will be tested by occasional prejudice and injustice. In this respect, one cannot underestimate the transforming powers of compassion and love - in my experience found in abundance in the UK. These are emphatic forces that cultivate a true sense of belonging and shared responsibility.

There is the perception in some quarters that refugees seek material benefits first and foremost. Yet, the force of kindness and acceptance surpasses the bestowal of money, especially when financial aid is given grudgingly. Victor Hugo in his masterpiece, Les Misérables, beautifully depicts the transforming power of compassion, generosity, forgiveness, and magnanimity combined with consideration for material needs. And those who have relied upon acceptance as they flee persecution recognise that whole-hearted welcome as the hallmark of a just people. We just have to learn to apply the power of these virtues far and wide and free ourselves from the false claims of national supremacy that defeat the purpose of any values adopted by a nation or a religious community.

Any human being represents far more than a cog in the economic machinery. Rather, it is a focus on values that awaken community spirit and the common desire for the welfare of all. If dominant economic and market values reinforce attitudes of selfishness, greed and competition, what hope is there to encourage the newcomers to feel a sense of collective responsibility for their adopted community?

Faith communities, by virtue of their network and presence at the grassroots, excel in this ability to nurture newcomers in an environment that reflects the altruistic nature latent within individuals, creating an environment conducive to organic integration.

As desperate conditions are upon us and migration has become a global force that will impel change nearly overnight, we are standing on the cusp of a great opportunity to re-orient the conditions under which cultures collide and interact. Some would say this level of transformation in the fabric of society is no accident.

“The mass movement of refugees across Europe has begun to heighten the world’s consciousness of the ‘organic unity of humanity’”4

In search of meaning and trying to make sense of the chaos that has bewildered great thinkers and politicians alike, I often turn to these words:

“The turmoil and crises of our time underlie a momentous transition in human affairs…That our Earth has contracted into a neighbourhood, no one can seriously deny. The world is being made new. Death pangs are yielding to birth pangs. The pain shall pass when members of the human race act upon the common recognition of their essential oneness. There is a light at the end of this tunnel of change, beckoning humanity to the goal destined for it according to the testimonies recorded in all the Holy Books.”5

These dynamic forces, compelled by crises and victory, will ultimately refine our sense of identity and values. Here lies the opportunity to demonstrate the reconstructive power of religion as it calls out for unity and social accord.

IOM report - https://publications.iom.int/system/files/pdf/WMR-2022.pdf
Policy primer integration 2020 https://migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/resources/primers/policy-primer-integration/
Sen, Amartya (2006). “Identity and Violence: The Illusion of Destiny. Issues of our time.” New York: W.W. Norton & Co.
“Mass Migration Heightens Awareness of Humanity’s ‘Organic Unity’”, October 23, 2015, https://news.bahai.org/story/1077/
Universal House of Justice, “On the Occasion of the Official Opening of the Terraces of the Shrine of the Báb”, May 22, 2001, https://news.bahai.org/story/119/