Saturday 12 February 2011

David Cameron’s Multiculturalism Policy in UK

Cameron told the Munich Security Conference, attended by world leaders, that state multiculturalism had failed in this country and pledged to cut funding for Muslim groups that failed to respect basic British values. He blamed the radicalisation of Muslim youths and the phenomenon of home-grown terrorism on the sense of alienation that builds among young people living in separate communities and the "hands-off tolerance" of groups that peddle separatist ideology. Read more>>>

Saturday 5 February 2011

State multiculturalism has failed, says David Cameron


1/2
David Cameron has criticised "state multiculturalism" in his first speech on radicalisation and the causes of terrorism as prime minister.
At a security conference in Germany, he argued the UK needed a stronger national identity to prevent people turning to all kinds of extremism.
He also signalled a tougher stance on groups promoting Islamist extremism.
The Muslim Council of Britain said its community was being seen as part of the problem rather than the solution.
Mr Cameron suggested there would be greater scrutiny of some Muslim groups that get public money but do little to tackle extremism.
Ministers should refuse to share platforms or engage with such groups, which should be denied access to public funds and barred from spreading their message in universities and prisons, he argued.
Human rights
"Frankly, we need a lot less of the passive tolerance of recent years and much more active, muscular liberalism," the prime minister said.
"Let's properly judge these organisations: Do they believe in universal human rights - including for women and people of other faiths? Do they believe in equality of all before the law? Do they believe in democracy and the right of people to elect their own government? Do they encourage integration or separatism?
"These are the sorts of questions we need to ask. Fail these tests and the presumption should be not to engage with organisations," he added.

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We have even tolerated these segregated communities behaving in ways that run counter to our values”
David Cameron
Reacting to the speech, the Muslim Council of Britain's assistant secretary general, Dr Faisal Hanjra, said the government had failed to move the issue on.
He told Radio 4's Today programme: "It is disappointing. We were hoping that with a new government, with a new coalition that there'd be a change in emphasis in terms of counter-terrorism and dealing with the problem at hand.
"In terms of the approach to tackling terrorism though it doesn't seem to be particularly new.
"Again it just seems the Muslim community is very much in the spotlight, being treated as part of the problem as opposed to part of the solution."
Muslim youth group The Ramadhan Foundation said that, by singling out Muslims, Mr Cameron had fed "hysteria and paranoia".
Chief executive Mohammed Shafiq said: "British Muslims abhor terrorism and extremism and we have worked hard to eradicate this evil from our country.
"But to suggest that we do not sign up to the values of tolerance, respect and freedom is deeply offensive and incorrect.
"Multiculturalism is about understanding each others faiths and cultures whilst being proud of our British citizenship."
In the speech in Munich, Mr Cameron drew a clear distinction between Islam the religion and what he described as "Islamist extremism" - a political ideology he said attracted people who feel "rootless" within their own countries.
"We need to be clear: Islamist extremism and Islam are not the same thing," he said.
The government is currently reviewing its policy to prevent violent extremism, known as Prevent, which is a key part of its wider counter-terrorism strategy.
'I am a Londoner too'
A genuinely liberal country "believes in certain values and actively promotes them", Mr Cameron said.
"Freedom of speech. Freedom of worship. Democracy. The rule of law. Equal rights, regardless of race, sex or sexuality.
"It says to its citizens: This is what defines us as a society. To belong here is to believe these things.
"Each of us in our own countries must be unambiguous and hard-nosed about this defence of our liberty."
He said under the "doctrine of state multiculturalism", different cultures have been encouraged to live separate lives.
"We have failed to provide a vision of society to which they feel they want to belong. We have even tolerated these segregated communities behaving in ways that run counter to our values."
Building a stronger sense of national and local identity holds "the key to achieving true cohesion" by allowing people to say "I am a Muslim, I am a Hindu, I am a Christian, but I am a Londoner... too", he said.
Security minister Baroness Neville-Jones said when Mr Cameron expressed his opposition to extremism, he meant all forms, not just Islamist extremism.
She told Today: "There's a widespread feeling in the country that we're less united behind values than we need to be.
"There are things the government can do to give a lead and encourage participation in society, including all minorities."
But the Islamic Society of Britain said the prime minister did not appreciate the nature of the problem.
Ajmal Masroor from the group told BBC Radio 5 live: "I think he's confusing a couple of issues: national identity and multiculturalism along with extremism are not connected. Extremism comes about as a result of several other factors." (BBC)


2/2; Did David Cameron really mean what he said about multiculturalism? 

It is not often that I am inspired by our senior political figures. But I felt inspired after David Cameron's 2007 visit to Birmingham's Sparkbrook ward, which I represent as one of three elected Respect councillors.
He stayed in the area for two days and spent a night with a local Muslim family and was so clearly impressed by the experience he wrote in glowing terms in the Observer about what he had learned. He didn't just churn out lazy cliches a la "I stayed with a Muslim family and they were nice to me shock", but describes his experiences in terms of the inspiration he drew from Sparkbrook for what a multicultural Britain could be like.
He praised the ward, a deprived, multicultural inner-city area, for its community cohesion and vibrant grassroots community infrastructure. He called for "a concerted attack on racism and soft bigotry". He described how "we cannot bully people into feeling British".
He also rejected talk of integration only being about immigrant communities and "their" responsibilities and duties. Instead, he saw it as a two-way street, which was as much about "the quality of life that we offer, our society and our values" as it was about the need for Muslims to assimilate.
In particular, he urged caution about the "lazy" use of language that is fuelling demonisation of the Muslim community, via catch-all sinister-sounding phrases such as "Islamist" and "extremist". (I was reminded of his words this week when a leading member of the Tory-Lib Dem coalition who govern our city denounced me in the media as an "extremist" and "Islamist").
He concluded that "if we want to remind ourselves of British values – hospitality, tolerance and generosity to name just three – there are plenty of British Muslims ready to show us what those things really mean".
After Cameron's recent pronouncements on multiculturalism, I now ask myself: did he mean a single word if it? Instead of a supporting anti-racism, he gave a speech that was wholeheartedly endorsed by the leader of the BNP and those who took part in the EDL marches on the same day. Instead of a rejecting bullying, he now espouses "muscular liberalism".
I like to think Cameron was genuine in his words when he visited my ward. And that somehow his mind was hijacked by the right wing of his party. I hope for all our sakes he wins it back. Because while areas like Sparkbrook are not perfect, they are succeeding.
Despite the fact we have major challenges of poverty, in all the indices of community engagement we are thriving. A Be Birmingham survey commissioned by the council 18 months ago questioned residents across the city on their attitudes to living in their neighbourhoods. On each of the following questions, Balsall Heath in my area came top: do you feel safe in your area? Do you feel proud of it? Do you trust people in your street? Do you trust the police? Do you trust the council? Do you feel able to influence events in your area?
Quite remarkable, considering that it ranks among the five poorest wards in the country. But not so surprising when you glimpse the variety of activities that residents come together to do as neighbours, accepting one another whatever their backgrounds. Activities that voluntary groups such as Balsall Heath Forum and the local councillors actively facilitate include (Muslim-led) carol singing in old people's homes, litter picks with school children, a walking bus to school, hampers to the elderly at Christmas and Eid, a twice-yearly communal meal for all residents in the church, the first "green" mosque in England and a summer carnival and autumn firework display. All this has not come about in response to government finger-wagging but through patient work over many years on the ground by residents themselves.
We have challenges to face, of course. The 70% cut to our youth service budget that the ruling Conservative-Liberal Democrat administration has introduced will do more to unpick community cohesion than any threat of hate-spewing Muslim bigots. And of course we have a few of them too.
But instead of being passive about it, Birmingham's Muslims formed a coalition to marginalise extremists and drive them from our mosques. Recently our community did so again, successfully disrupting attempts by the Islam4UK extremist Anjem Choudary to put down roots here.
Cameron once had a vision. It was a positive and genuinely uniting and inclusive one that gained him admirers across the political spectrum. He should return to it. (By; Salma Yaqoob)
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