Miraa consumers in the UK unbowed by recent ban

By HAMLAL PURI

KENYA: An unusual battle is simmering in Britain; a fight to stop the ban on miraa – or khat –a popular recreational twig among the Diaspora from Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia and Yemen.  Segments of the UK’s 220,000-strong Somali community are fighting the prohibition, saying it is an affront on their culture and an infringement on their tradition.