Navigation guide Refugee populations in the UK: Algerians - ICAR

Ethnic background
• Algerians are mainly Arabs but there is a significant Berber presence (approximately 10% of the
population in Algeria). Although Berbers fall into a number of distinct sub-groups (the four most
significant are Kabyle, Choauia, Toureg and Mozabite), they are typically categorised as a single
ethnic minority in Algeria.
• Berbers, particularly Kabyles, are over represented within the Algerian community in France
(approximately 20% of Algerians in France are of Berber origin).
• There is also a significant Berber presence in the UK, though the exact proportion is unknown.
o The Member of the Algerian National Assembly representing emigrants in Northern
Europe elected in 1997 is a member of the RCD (Rassemblement pour la Culture et la
Democratie), a party with a strong Berber constituency.
o There was a small but significant protest in Trafalgar Square, London, against the
violence of the police in the Berber region of Kabylia in 2001.
o However, no services reported receiving a large number of Berber clients and they are
likely to remain a minority 44 within the wider Algerian population.
Languages spoken
• The nationally recognised languages in Algeria are Arabic and, since 2002, the Berber language
Tamaziyt; which of them is spoken will depend on ethnic background. The Arabic spoken is an
Algerian dialect that is different from standard Arabic.
• Any Algerian educated to secondary level will also speak some French.
• English is growing in popularity and becoming more widely spoken, especially among those educated
to a higher level.
Religion
• Islam is one of the founding principles of the Algerian state and the official religion of Algeria. The
majority of Algerians are Sunnis and the Malki judicial school is the most common. South Asian
Muslims, the most significant Muslim group in Britain, are Sunni and typically from the Hanafi judicial
school, which is considered by Malkis to be far less conservative. There is no barrier between judicial
schools and Algerians worship in a whole range of mosques in the UK.
• Though Algeria is far from being an Islamic state, as Islamic law (shari’a) is not in force, there is a
strong Islamic influence on private or family law. The Code de la Famille (Family Code), introduced in
1984 and still in force, clearly relates to shari’a and is strongly opposed by feminist groups.
• Many Algerian Islamist groups and political parties draw their influence most strongly from groups
such as the Muslim Brotherhood, founded in Egypt in 1928.
Age
• A wide diversity of ages is represented, though there are many more young people.
• Those who have arrived since 1992 are much younger. This is unsurprising since 75% of the Algerian
population is now under the age of 30.
44 Collyer, M. (2002) ‘Explaining change in established migration systems: the movement of Algerians to France and
the UK’ University of Sussex, DPhil thesis, bound and recorded at the British Library.
Navigation guide to refugee populations: Algerians
©ICAR 2004, moral rights Michael Collyer
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