My friend seems to have some problem with SOME foreigners(There are some aggresive people from Czechslovakia, and he doesn't like Indian or Pakistani people either), and I take offence to that because I've been on the receiving end of that treatment. He basically didn't like them coming to our country and not having the "courtesy to speak our language and that they are stealing our jobs. How can I change his attitudes?
Challenge his received notions about immigrants. There've been some studies done which show that immigrants make a net contribution to the economy, don't claim as much benefits as many people say and many are qualified workers with a strong education. I found this BBC article after some googling BBC News - Recent immigrants to UK 'make net contribution', though there are lots of other potential sources you could find in that way. Maybe when the conversation goes that way you could bring up one of these studies/stats and say "well actually...". If he's reasonable then presenting him with evidence that contradicts some of his views might bring up an interesting debate, at least on the immigration and job-stealing front. If he's just xenophobic it could be harder to get through. I'll hazard a guess that he likes things like Indian food, American films etc. Perhaps you could ask him why, if he loves the culture so much, he hates the people who offer it to our country. Also try and find ways of showing him that immigrants are for the most part reasonable people who want the same things as we do. Also try to establish what grounds he has for disliking foreigners in the way he does, so you can work out ways to get him to change his stereotypes/opinions.
You can never hope to cure ignorance. All you can hope to do is make it so uncomfortable for the ignorant person (by challenging their assumptions and offering real sources of information) to remain ignorant that they finally choose to absorb reality. But the problem is inside them...they are the only one who can cure it...and only after they accept that it's a problem.
