Originally posted by: Antlers
Why do conservative Muslims come here, or stay here, if they disdain everything about our religious freedoms, democratic values and culture?
The motivation for migration is the same the world over: economic or political (or even a combination of both.)
The vast majority of 'Muslim' migrants to the UK took place between mid-60s and mid-80s. They were largely economic migrants, seeking a better life. The Mirpuris came in numbers because of the effect of the building of the Mangla dam back in Mirpur district. There was also significant numbers of migrants from East Africa due to the Africanisation programme and persecution of East African Asians, many of whom were British passport holders. The UK government only permitted them entry reluctantly even though they were UK passport holders and when the UK government failed to convince India to take these migrants. (Why should India give refuge to UK passport holders when the responsibility for them lay with the UK government.) This largelyGujarati population from East Africa had Muslims and Hindus among them, A significant number of them settled in Leicester giving the town a whole new lease of life.
Since then there have been refugees and asylum seekers coming to the UK due to wars, some in the Middle East, or parts of Africa. Some of these refugees/asylum seekers were Muslim.
It is not so easy to label any religious group as conservative or liberal. It depends on the position/values of the 'definer'/user of such terms as conservative or liberal. In reality in any faith community not only is there a diversity of views, but values may vary from one generation to the next. Furthermore any one individual may have 'conservative' values/attitudes on one aspect but 'liberal' on others.
Islam does clearly teach Muslims to respect the laws of the country in which they reside. But then again, how many people follow what are supposedly clear messages in their (own) religion? If people break the law, they need to be prosecuted as per due process in that country. However in a democracy, different views can be aired. There have been anarchists living in the UK more more than a century and a half. Those people do not believe in the values of the UK and would do away with the government. There have been fascists in the UK in the past (since the 1960s) and there are still some around, often in the guise of rightwing racist parties, BNP, EDL etc. who not only vilify but also attack Black/minority communities, and more recentll, Muslim communities.
All of the above is easily accessible information and much of it can even be found in UK government official publication.