Muslim Women Must Learn English: British PM
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Muslim women who fail to learn English to a high enough standard could face deportation from Britain, Prime Minister David Cameron announced Monday.
He also suggested that poor English skills can leave people "more susceptible" to the messages of terrorist groups like ISIL (Daesh), AFP reported.
Cameron's comments came as his center-right Conservatives launched a £20 million ($28.5 million, 26 million euro) language fund for women in isolated communities as part of a drive to build community integration.
Immigration rules already force spouses to speak English before they come to Britain to live with their partners.
But Cameron said they would also face further tests after two and a half years in the country to make sure their language skills were improving.
"You can't guarantee you will be able to stay if you are not improving your language," he said. "People coming to our country, they have responsibilities too."
Cameron's government estimates that around 190,000 Muslim women in England – about 22 percent – speak little or no English.
There are estimated to be around 2.7 million Muslims in England out of a total population of some 53 million.
