new internationalist
issue 260 - October 1994
1. FALSE
It is 14 times the national average. Young Australian Aboriginal men are often
arrested for minor offences for which white people would be let off. One million
Aborigines a year are arrested, which is an average of four times a year for
every Aboriginal woman, man and child. Each month two or more Aborigines die
in custody.
2. TRUE
Both are heavily concentrated in the lowest paid social classes. In London unemployment
amongst the Irish was second to that of the Afro-Caribbean community. The Irish
are the largest ethnic minority in Britain and are the only immigrant group
whose life expectancy goes down when they enter the country.
3. FALSE
The notion of race is considered to be a scientific fallacy. The genetic differences
between ethnic groups are so small and have so much overlap as to make them
a spurious means of defining difference.
4. FALSE
The caste system results in the segregation of 'lower' castes who get some of
the worst jobs, some of which are tantamount to slavery to the upper castes.
Police and upper-caste atrocities against them are routine. One is born into
one's caste and intermarriage between upper and lower castes is forbidden. Upper
caste Hindus refuse physical contact with lower caste members and objects handled
by them. The lower castes (about 13.8 per cent of India's 844 million population)
are therefore perceived as a race apart.
5. FALSE
The rights of women are explained in the Qu'ran and in the Hadith (the examples
set by the life of the Prophet Mohammed). Muslim women are entitled to refuse
marriage. They are entitled to divorce with a just economic settlement and have
clearly defined inheritance rights. Patriarchy is more to blame for their disadvantage
in certain communities than scripture.
6. FALSE
Many Zulus support the ANC. Most of the violence before the elections was between
supporters of INKATHA and the anti-apartheid supporters of the ANC. The division
is usually along political lines rather than 'tribal'. But the news media often
portray violence in Africa as 'tribal' and violence elsewhere as political or
'ethnic'.
7. FALSE
Prejudice against gypsies, travellers or Romanies creates negative myths and
is a world-wide phenomenon. Almost half-a-million gypsies were put to death
under the Nazis, and anti-gypsy feeling seems to be growing again today.
8. TRUE
This is known as the law of return and applies to all Jews whether or not they
have ever lived in Israel. At the same time nearly 3.5 million Palestinians
living in exile or as refugees are not allowed to return to their homeland.
9. FALSE
Most housing is inadequate and substandard. For example, 46 per cent of the
comparatively well-off Navajo nation have no electricity, 54 per cent have no
indoor plumbing at all.
10. FALSE
Britain is the only country with such specific and wideranging legislation as
the 1976 Race Relations Act.
11. FALSE
There are some 600 black-consciousness groups in Brazil. They argue that discrimination
against Brazil's 70 million black people is commonplace and the much-vaunted
notion of 'racial democracy' is a myth. Indigenous peoples are persecuted and
their numbers are in decline.
12. TRUE
Emigration from the UK is greater than immigration.
