British colonialism persists in new forms, says head of UK’s Islamic Human Rights Commission

Massoud Shajareh, Chairman of the Islamic Human Rights Commission in the United Kingdom, has emphasized that British colonialism continues to manifest through modern forms of exploitation and discrimination.

“Great Britain remains one of the most effective and expansive colonial powers in many ways,” Shajareh told IRNA.

“At the height of colonialism, its geographical reach and systematic implementation were so vast that it was said ‘the sun never sets on the British Empire.’ This legacy continues to cast a long shadow,” he added.

He described British colonialism as “extremely oppressive and brutally executed,” citing the example of India. “They destroyed one of the most prosperous economies of its time and reduced it to a third-world country.”

Shajareh stressed that Britain not only undermined India’s economy but also looted its resources. “They did the same in Africa, in the Americas, in Australia, and elsewhere,” he said.

“It was essentially a machine designed to extract resources from oppressed peoples across the globe,” he said.

“What was stolen was never returned to the masses—it was handed to the elites, who were the true beneficiaries,” Shajareh noted.

He argued that from a human rights and international law perspective, colonialism is deeply damaging, unacceptable, and counterproductive. “It undermines the future of humanity and wastes resources to uphold a hierarchical power structure, both internally and globally.”

Referring to recent events, he said, “The last two years in Palestine have shown us the arrogance and disregard for international law that still persists.”

“Today’s generation may not witness colonialism in its physical form as seen in recent history,” Shajareh concluded, “but its mechanisms and consequences remain very much alive.”