So a few posts back, I spoke in the Burqa and why I believe banning it would be a bad idea. It seems right that I should address the issue of multiculturalism in general, as it's relevant to a great deal of what I believe.
Multiculturalism- the belief that several different cultures can co-exist peacefully and equally in a single country.
I believe that the multiculturalist approach is the only sensible way for a democratic society to exist. If you want a state to claim an area of land as big as Britain is, you are always going to have to deal with cultural differences among the population. You can allow everyone to express the culture, faith and heritage they desire, or you can force everyone to submit to the culture of the majority. The latter reaction is undemocratic, and undermines basic freedoms that few in Britain deny exist.
That's a very basic outline of my view on the initial concept of multiculturalism (MC). I'm not going to go into it further, because I want to move on to focus on the issue facing Britain in the 21st century, regarding Muslims and immigrants from Asia and Africa.
Multiculturalism has always existed in Britain. Before the borders were open to immigration from the East, we had distinctly non-English minorities thriving in our United Kingdom. Specifically, Celtic cultures- Cornish, Scots, Welsh, Irish. These have now been totally accepted by the dominant Anglo-Saxon descendants. A Scottish school teaching classes in Gaelic is seen as something to be encouraged, not feared. A Welshman living in London who displays a Ddraig Goch outside his flat is not begrudged his right to do so by the English- unless those English happen to be drunk rugby fans.
But it's a different story, for some reason, when it comes to people displaying Muslim, Arabic, Asian cultures. A Muslim who openly practices her faith is seen as a threat to Western democracy and tradition and freedom and God knows what else. Many cringe at the sight of a Pakistani flag in a major British town. Even speaking Hindi or Urdu is somehow an outrageous anti-British statement. While Scots are something we've come to tolerate, Indians and Pakistanis are somehow just "too different".
[Before we go further, I am by no means accusing the entire White British population of objecting to openly expressed Asian culture. I'm only arguing against the very vocal section of our society who do. Is that clear? Good.]
There is no sensible thinking behind that train of thought which says Islam should be practised behind closed doors, and Asian culture should be tucked away into the corners. How does the presence of an Indian man being Indian make you any less white, or any less British? If you are proud to be a Brit, that's great. But it doesn't mean everyone else should act like Brits as well.
The thinking seems to end up saying that the British culture is simply better than Asian or African cultures. This is not true, and can not possibly be true. No one culture improves the world to such an extent that all other cultures are primitive by comparison. Level of development isn't even relevant to culture- think of James Caan, as an example of a successful businessman who is also an openly-practising Sikh. Just one of many- and they are no worse at their job than their white Juedo-Christian counterparts.
I return to the point about Celtic culture from a different angle, and point out that this British culture we are so proud of would not even exist if Anglo-Saxons, Normans, Vikings and Celts had not been able to co-exist. What more proof do you need that fear of co-existing with other cultures is irrelevant and irrational?
Also, let's not forget the anti-Gaelic measures sparked by the Duke of Cumberland after the battle of Culloden. That was an example against irrational fear of another culture- one that we look back on now and completely fail to see the point of. I strongly believe that this is how future generations will look upon the right-wing movement against openly expressed Islam and Asian culture.
One of the most important lessons from history is that it is not the differences between people, but fear of those differences, that causes the most suffering in the world. Let's take the opportunity we have to learn from history, and not succumb to our uneasiness about those who live, worship, cook and meet in different methods to the ones we are used to.
Multiculturalism- the belief that several different cultures can co-exist peacefully and equally in a single country.
I believe that the multiculturalist approach is the only sensible way for a democratic society to exist. If you want a state to claim an area of land as big as Britain is, you are always going to have to deal with cultural differences among the population. You can allow everyone to express the culture, faith and heritage they desire, or you can force everyone to submit to the culture of the majority. The latter reaction is undemocratic, and undermines basic freedoms that few in Britain deny exist.
That's a very basic outline of my view on the initial concept of multiculturalism (MC). I'm not going to go into it further, because I want to move on to focus on the issue facing Britain in the 21st century, regarding Muslims and immigrants from Asia and Africa.
Multiculturalism has always existed in Britain. Before the borders were open to immigration from the East, we had distinctly non-English minorities thriving in our United Kingdom. Specifically, Celtic cultures- Cornish, Scots, Welsh, Irish. These have now been totally accepted by the dominant Anglo-Saxon descendants. A Scottish school teaching classes in Gaelic is seen as something to be encouraged, not feared. A Welshman living in London who displays a Ddraig Goch outside his flat is not begrudged his right to do so by the English- unless those English happen to be drunk rugby fans.
But it's a different story, for some reason, when it comes to people displaying Muslim, Arabic, Asian cultures. A Muslim who openly practices her faith is seen as a threat to Western democracy and tradition and freedom and God knows what else. Many cringe at the sight of a Pakistani flag in a major British town. Even speaking Hindi or Urdu is somehow an outrageous anti-British statement. While Scots are something we've come to tolerate, Indians and Pakistanis are somehow just "too different".
[Before we go further, I am by no means accusing the entire White British population of objecting to openly expressed Asian culture. I'm only arguing against the very vocal section of our society who do. Is that clear? Good.]
There is no sensible thinking behind that train of thought which says Islam should be practised behind closed doors, and Asian culture should be tucked away into the corners. How does the presence of an Indian man being Indian make you any less white, or any less British? If you are proud to be a Brit, that's great. But it doesn't mean everyone else should act like Brits as well.
The thinking seems to end up saying that the British culture is simply better than Asian or African cultures. This is not true, and can not possibly be true. No one culture improves the world to such an extent that all other cultures are primitive by comparison. Level of development isn't even relevant to culture- think of James Caan, as an example of a successful businessman who is also an openly-practising Sikh. Just one of many- and they are no worse at their job than their white Juedo-Christian counterparts.
I return to the point about Celtic culture from a different angle, and point out that this British culture we are so proud of would not even exist if Anglo-Saxons, Normans, Vikings and Celts had not been able to co-exist. What more proof do you need that fear of co-existing with other cultures is irrelevant and irrational?
Also, let's not forget the anti-Gaelic measures sparked by the Duke of Cumberland after the battle of Culloden. That was an example against irrational fear of another culture- one that we look back on now and completely fail to see the point of. I strongly believe that this is how future generations will look upon the right-wing movement against openly expressed Islam and Asian culture.
One of the most important lessons from history is that it is not the differences between people, but fear of those differences, that causes the most suffering in the world. Let's take the opportunity we have to learn from history, and not succumb to our uneasiness about those who live, worship, cook and meet in different methods to the ones we are used to.
While I agree with everything you say entirely, it could be interesting to raise the point that Janes Caan enjoys what the tax world calls "non-Dom" status, owing to his non-British nature. He exploits a tax loophole to pay hardly any UK tax. A voluntary act one could use as an example of how he delegates himself from and doesn't contribute to society.
ReplyDeleteI just think it's curious that you use him as a shining example of multiculturalism at work, when another person could see him as a shining example of how it doesn't work...
I was unaware of this. The only reason I was using him as an example was so I could say "look, a successful Asian! That means Asians are not inherently inferior to whites!" Or something.
ReplyDelete