Millions of Muslims in Britain at risk of losing citizenship

• Law allows citizenship removal without prior notice.
• Non-white Britons face far higher risk than white citizens.

Millions of Muslims in Britain are at risk of having their citizenship stripped under sweeping government powers, according to a new report published in the United Kingdom.

The report was prepared by the Runnymede Trust, a British organization focused on combating racism and inequality, and the non-governmental group Reprieve. It warns that expanded legal authorities to revoke nationality disproportionately affect Muslim and ethnic minority communities.

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Around nine million people in Britain are legally exposed to the risk of citizenship removal, a figure previously cited by the home secretary. This represents roughly 13 percent of the UK population, according to the report.

- Disproportionate impact -

The report finds that the current framework has a sharply unequal impact. Three out of five non-white individuals are considered at risk of losing British citizenship, compared with one in 20 white British citizens.

People with links to Pakistan, Bangladesh, Somalia, Nigeria, North Africa, and the Middle East are identified as among the most vulnerable groups.

The authors say the policy has become a “systemic threat” to Muslim communities, particularly those with South Asian, African, and Middle Eastern backgrounds.

- 2022 law under scrutiny -

The report highlights the Nationality and Borders Act, passed in 2022, which allows the government to strip citizenship without prior notice in certain cases. Under the law, citizenship can be removed even if a person has no active ties to another country, as long as authorities believe they may be eligible for another nationality.

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Since 2010, more than 200 people have been deprived of British citizenship on grounds of “public interest”, with the vast majority reported to be Muslims.

- Calls for repeal -

Runnymede Trust and Reprieve called for an immediate halt to citizenship deprivation cases, the repeal of the relevant provisions in the nationality law, and the restoration of citizenship to those affected under the current powers.

The report warns that without reform, millions will continue to live with legal uncertainty over their status, undermining equality before the law and long-standing principles of citizenship in Britain.