The UK government has announced that it will soon send out a 100-page information pack for businesses on preparing for a no-deal Brexit. What was once touted as the easiest trade deal in history has proven anything but, and the nation now faces the very real risk of crashing out of the EU with no safety net. Tellingly, at the end of last year, the words "in the unlikely event" were quietly removed from the official Gov.uk website.
Reports of government contingencies have included the minister for health buying fridges to stockpile medicines and a plan for 3,500 troops to be put on standby to deal with any disruption caused by such a scenario. In other words, regardless of whether people voted to leave or remain, they need to start putting safeguards in place.
Households across Britain will soon be sent similar information packs. Unsurprisingly, none of the government’s many official notices mention anything about Muslims, people of colour or other minorities making special preparations – but should they? The idea is not as alarmist as it might seem.
Since the 2016 decision to leave the EU, public discourse about minorities and how it is acceptable to talk about them and treat them has changed. This can be seen across the media and in steadily rising reports of hate crimes. Now, it is looking like achieving Brexit and "taking back control" will cost everyday British people dearly, which has the potential to create an even more inhospitable environment for minorities.
In the UK, Muslims have become scapegoats for the failures of a nation. They are dehumanised and referred to as a threat, over and over, by voices that enjoy prominent platforms. Ironically, while much of the rhetoric that led to Brexit was based around the idea of keeping migrants out of the UK, the right wing has no problems with importing its ideas from overseas.
A pernicious feedback loop between the UK, mainland Europe and the US is at play. As ludicrous as it is, the idea that the goal of mainstream European and American Muslims is to take over and replace democracy with sharia has plenty of currency, from the darkest reaches of the internet to broadcast networks and national newspapers.
There are plenty of distressing examples of inflammatory rhetoric against minorities eventually turning into brutal violence. Just look at what happened Rwanda, Burundi, Kosovo and Bosnia. These may seem like extreme examples, but they are not. Separatism and nationalism never lead anywhere good. Today’s white supremacist talking points, which are being increasingly legitimised and absorbed into acceptable political discourse, all come from a similar place of intolerance.
Across British society, tacit permission has been granted for the expression of divisive and reactionary views. Checks on prejudice that were once widely upheld have been gradually dismantled. Now, it is common to hear people mocking others for being “snowflakes”. Political correctness is referred to as having “gone mad”.
Throughout Europe, right-wing populist parties are gaining power and momentum by peddling the same ideas. These countries are not far off lands. Nowhere is any more. In an increasingly connected world, dangerous ideas can be passed on rapidly, making the spread of hatred and division clear and present.
Of course, there is the possibility that, should the UK endure the inevitable economic difficulties of a hard Brexit, people will realise that migrants and minority groups are not the cause of the country’s problems. People of all races and religions could, as a result, come together to fix the deep and systemic problems of inequality and lack of opportunity that have plagued the nation for decades. However, creating the level of understanding necessary for that level of co-operation takes a great deal of work – work that needs to begin without delay.
Now more than ever, minorities of all backgrounds and their allies should be vocal about their concerns and the government must ensure that robust protections are in place for everyone. Whatever happens with Brexit, we will all be in it together. However, ideas of solidarity, equality and inclusivity won't arrive in a lightbulb moment. They need to be seeded, nurtured and supported at every level. This must start now, because the alternative is unspeakable.
Shelina Janmohamed is the author of Love in a Headscarf and Generation M: Young Muslims Changing the World
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Ziina users can donate to relief efforts in Beirut
Ziina users will be able to use the app to help relief efforts in Beirut, which has been left reeling after an August blast caused an estimated $15 billion in damage and left thousands homeless. Ziina has partnered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to raise money for the Lebanese capital, co-founder Faisal Toukan says. “As of October 1, the UNHCR has the first certified badge on Ziina and is automatically part of user's top friends' list during this campaign. Users can now donate any amount to the Beirut relief with two clicks. The money raised will go towards rebuilding houses for the families that were impacted by the explosion.”
SNAPSHOT
While Huawei did launch the first smartphone with a 50MP image sensor in its P40 series in 2020, Oppo in 2014 introduced the Find 7, which was capable of taking 50MP images: this was done using a combination of a 13MP sensor and software that resulted in shots seemingly taken from a 50MP camera.
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Bert van Marwijk factfile
Born: May 19 1952
Place of birth: Deventer, Netherlands
Playing position: Midfielder
Teams managed:
1998-2000 Fortuna Sittard
2000-2004 Feyenoord
2004-2006 Borussia Dortmund
2007-2008 Feyenoord
2008-2012 Netherlands
2013-2014 Hamburg
2015-2017 Saudi Arabia
2018 Australia
Major honours (manager):
2001/02 Uefa Cup, Feyenoord
2007/08 KNVB Cup, Feyenoord
World Cup runner-up, Netherlands
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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