The recent bomb attacks in London have reminded us of one important facet of international terrorism: that the enemy does not always match the stereotype we give it. On the contrary, the London bombers were by and large British citizens, did not wear the traditional Islamic garb as some of their peers, and were generally seen as mild-mannered, average young men. In short, a far cry from the image of the fiery-eyed, fist-shaking fundamentalist we have become accustomed to.
So why would a group of young, average British Muslims commit such an atrocity? How could they deal such a blow to the very nation who has welcomed them and their families, allegedly giving them the opportunity to make a better life for themselves? The answer may lie in the failure that is Britain's, and indeed the western world's policy of so-called multiculturalism.
Britain's policy of multiculturalism is one of all-encompassing tolerance towards different cultures, no doubt influenced at least in part by a subtle sense of guilt about its colonial past. Immigrants can come to Britain and maintain their cultural values, religious beliefs, customs and traditions. They can establish their own centres of worship, their own businesses, and work according to their own ethics and belief systems. This is all very noble, if naive.
Such unconditional acceptance in fact suffers, for all its seemingly noble traits, from one overwhelming flaw: an almost total lack of incentives for cultural integration. Without it, different cultures to come to Britain to share its space and resources can do so in almost total segregation from each other. Entire neighbourhoods become populated by people of a single cultural background, de-facto ghettos breeding a sort of cultural self-alienation, doing nothing to encourage communication with members of other cultures and promoting the very sort of ignorance and discontent that lead to the horrific scenes we have recently witnessed. Faith-based schools and other culturally-biased institutions help to re-enforce that sense segregation.
Ideally, it should not be possible for someone to settle in a country without ever having to learn the local language, understanding the local customs, or acquiring a basic respect for local history and tradition. And yet, under current British government policies, this is often the case. Immigrants from various backgrounds have for a long time been able to come into Britain, settling in areas occupied almost exclusively by members of their own culture, and never have to make any effort to integrate.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Eric Olsen
penetrating and very well written - thanks and welcome Roamerick!
2 - Nancy
This is interesting. There are indeed too many places in the US also where an immigrant need never go outside their own culture, language, etc. for an entire lifetime, as in Miami. Perhaps mandatory English-immersion schools for all? But in the US, it probably couldn't be done because it wouldn't be legal, I don't think.
3 - Victor Plenty
"Us and them" thinking is dangerous at every level, from the small neighborhood or village to the entire globe. Until we recognize the full humanity and equal worth of all people everywhere, and fully practice it in all our social and political dealings, we will all be in grave danger.
Railing against multiculturalism will never make anyone safer.
4 - Bob A. Booey
This is pretty short-sighted.
While nothing excuses terror or violence, the best way to ensure minorities in Europe don't gravitate toward extremist religious sects and violence is to ensure that they have access to education and employment. I know this sounds like a standard liberal line, but it really makes much more sense in Europe. If you've ever been to Britain, immigrants of Indian and Pakistani descent are perhaps the primary minority group there, with a long history of discrimination going back to the colonial era. In the UK, "Paki" is a common ethnic slur on par with the N-word here in America. Similarly, there is a huge problem with discrimination against minorities in other West European nations -- the French have huge unemployment among Algerians and various other immigrant groups, which has resulted in unrest and violence as well going back years.
The best way to get people to integrate into the larger culture is to have them succeed and become invested in maintaining their role in that society. Yes, the reason the attacks happened in London were because of Al Qaeda and international terrorist organizing. But the more immigrants to the West feel like they have something to lose if they give their lives for violence and extreme ideology, the less likely they are to be swayed by groups like Al Qaeda. Al Qaeda has succeeded by tapping into the economic and cultural frustrations of people in the Middle East and emigres in Europe and America. If we have a multiculturalism that attempts to integrate all people into education and the economy, ideology and religious fanaticism have much less appeal and there'll be much less hatred and anger to fuel violence.
That is all.
5 - Eric Olsen
E pluribus unum is a cliche whose time is always the present. Maintaining a sense of ancestral pride and identity is fine and dandy and "diversity" is a genuine good, BUT these must be tempered with a foundation of commonality.
6 - Dave Nalle
There's multiculturalism and then there's multiculturalism. The approach to the idea which encourages the retention of all aspects of the parent culture while remaining in isolation from the host culture is what's practiced in England. They work ont he assumption that you can come to England and live just as you did in your home country and everything will be great. The problem is that this leads to discrimination, a feeling of alienation from the larger society in which you live, political fragmentation of the society and a great deal of resentment of one group against another. Putting aside the National Front, the British people are not as a whole terribly racist, but the importation of minorities with little or no effort to assimilate them into the larger educational, economic and cultural structure of the society encourages them to think of themselves as apart from society and encourages others to think of them as strangers rather than fellow citizens. In an effort to respect the cultural identities of immigrants they have instead essentially ghettoized them so that rather than combining and forming or sharing a common culture, they remain isolated in their own limited sub-groups.
In contrast, some countries, like the United States and Canada and Australia have been accepting of immigrants and their cultures, but welcome them on the assumption that while they may retain their cultural identity to some extent, as far as work and social interraction and education and business they are going to have to become somewhat assimilated into the host culture, especially if they want to be successful. Learning English, working in ethnically mixed environments, and living in a mixed society primarily divided by wealth rather than race or culture, encourages immigrants to share more of a common interest with others who are not of their group. It means the nation is multicultural because it has many different cultures represented, but rather than distinct cultural pockets, each of them contributes to an overall shared culture which has some of each, but remains unique and shared in common. On the whole, while this approach may be seen by cultural purists as a threat, it offers the best opportunity for a prosperous and successful life to immigrants.
Dave
7 - Bob A. Booey
Well done, Dave. We agree. There's hope for you yet.
Can everyone feel the love in the air?
That is all.
8 - Eric Olsen
very well put Dave and echoes Roamerick's fine post
9 - Natalie Davis
Nicely written post, but feh. One needn't be an immigrant or speak a different language to be divided from people living within the same arbitrary boundaries.
I agree that if one moves to a country, one should learn the language. Just makes economic sense. One should have basic respect for the customs of all people, whether one lives near them or not. But having to conform to the dominant paradigm and take on some "national identity?" Feh. Let people live and identify themselves as they will. Not everyone feels the need to or sees any wisdom in having to pledge fealty to some manmade construct and some find the notion absolutely abhorrent.
10 - Roamerick
"If we have a multiculturalism that attempts to integrate all people into education and the economy, ideology and religious fanaticism have much less appeal and there'll be much less hatred and anger to fuel violence." - Bob A. Booey
Bob, I find it interesting how you define my opinion as short-sighted and then go on to paraphrase it. But having seen your other comments around here, I won't take it personally ;)
That aside, I just want to thank everyone for an unexpectedly warm welcome!
11 - gonzo marx
interesing Post..some good stuff, some not as good...
i found one thing in particualar where i didn't agree wiht the Postulate...and the Poster's solution scared the hell out of me...
Roamerick sez...
*The status quo is unsustainable. Efforts must be stepped up to force newcomers to the country to better integrate into the local culture, starting with mandatory, state-sponsored basic language courses.*
unsustainable?..arguable at the very least...both the UK and the US have been doing it for quite a while...a tiny handful of folks go nutty and bomb things and you say an entire cultural tradition is unsustainable?
but what really got me was "forced" and "state sponsered"
does anyone really think those two Concepts together are a good Idea?
just my one sixth billionths of the world's Opinion...
Excelsior!
12 - Dave Nalle
You know what occurs to me. The thing which really distinguishes the American approach to multiculturalism at its best is ethnic festivals. And in this context Milwaukee comes to mind.
In Milwaukee it seems like they have an ethnic festival almost every week, where they block of streets and hold a fair with food and entertainment and parades and games, all linked to a particular culture. The key thing is that these events celebrate that culture, not so much for those with that heritage, but for everyone in the community. It's a great opportunity to go downtown, experience Greek or Italian or Hispanic or African or Irish or Islamic culture, but you don't have to BE part of that cultural group to enjoy it and the whole presentation is really geared towards a mass, multicultural audience. Plus there's good food and it's a lot of fun.
Too often multicultural stands for many cultures apart, when what it should really mean is one culture made up of many where everyone can enjoy the wonders of all the other cultures which contribute to that society.
Dave
13 - Natalie Davis
Gonzo Marx: "what really got me was "forced" and "state sponsered"
does anyone really think those two Concepts together are a good Idea?"
I don't think that they, individually, are good ideas.
Dave Nalle: "Too often multicultural stands for many cultures apart, when what it should really mean is one culture made up of many where everyone can enjoy the wonders of all the other cultures which contribute to that society."
I agree. As one who considers herself a citizen of the world and not of any nation, that is how the planet looks to me. In fact, that is one of the few good things about it.
14 - Bob A. Booey
Roamerick, while you do suggest language training and such things, I think your post implied that it is only incumbent upon immigrants to change for us. You seem to make the point that cultural diversity is itself threatening. I disagree there -- I think it's necessary and I think the agency should also be shifted on governments and the "dominant" culture to avoid discrimination against immigrant customs and traditions while fully supporting access to higher education and employment.
For immigrants, alienation is rarely a self-created or self-generated thing. They are actively alienated by the dominant culture, which is both all around them and inaccessible to them.
That's when frustration gives way to violence. At the same time, forcing people to give up their culture or forbidding them from having their religious schools is a sure recipe for building a different kind of frustration that leads to underground, radical sects reasserting cultural identity against forced integration.
Regarding immigrants as "the enemy" our using loaded language in describing people from the Middle East becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy in our interpersonal interactions. If you treat people with suspicion, you are alienated from them and vice versa.
I'm glad to hear you agree with my views, though.
Natalie, aren't we all citizens of the galaxy and not just "this planet"? What about the HUMANS?
Excalibur!
That is all.
15 - Victor Lana
When my grandfather was a boy on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, his family spoke Italian and frequented Italian butchers, bakers, tailors, etc. However, soon as he got into school (with all the Jewish, Polish, German, Chinese, and other kids besides Italians) they had to speak English. I'm not badgering bilingual ed, but there was a quicker transition. They had no choice.
Also, these immigrants all fervently wanted to be citizens. I know a number of people today (some of them good friends) who have been here twenty or more years and still are not citizens and have no intention of becoming one.
To quote Dickens, "'Tis a muddle indeed."
16 - RJ
From here:
The Saviour Sect was established 10 months ago when its predecessor group Al-Muhajiroun was disbanded after coming under close scrutiny by the authorities. Its members meet in secret in halls, followers’ homes and parks. They are so opposed to the British state that they see it as their duty to make no economic contribution to the nation. One member warned our undercover reporter against getting a job because it would be contributing to the kuffar (non-Muslim) system.
Instead, the young follower, Nasser, who receives £44 job seekers’ allowance a week, said it was permissible to “live off benefits”, just as the prophet Mohammed had lived off the state while attacking it at the same time. Even paying car insurance was seen as supporting the system. “All the (Saviour Sect) brothers drive without insurance,” he said.
So. It's not as if these loons couldn't get jobs. Instead, they were told that getting a job (and actually contributing to their country) was prohibited by their "faith"...
17 - elton jude aguiar
whoh, i agree. but about the other immigrants for multiculutural?
18 - Bob A. Booey
There are certainly terrorist cells that move to countries with the explicit intent to organize mayhem.
But the best way to make sure terrorists can't recruit supporters and remain outsiders (and thus more easily visible) among mainstream Muslims in European countries and in America is to make sure that the hard-working, mainstream immigrants aren't frustrated by exclusion and discrimination.
That is all.
19 - Dave Nalle
I've lived in a lot of countries, Babs, and the thing which makes the US remarkable - even down here in Texas - is how accepted immigrants are, even when they still have an accent and look a bit different from the norm. If they work hard and participate in their community they quickly gain acceptance.
Now someone is going to say how racist Americans and especially southerners are, but the fact is that even though there are always a few bad apples in any society, Americans are as a whole not racist in comparison to people in other nations, and this is just as true of southerners as anyone else. People in the south have had to live in a strongly racially mixed society for generations, and the barriers between the races have broken down to a remarkable extent. Most people really do tend to judge you by your accomplishments and behavior much more than your ethnicity.
Dave
20 - Bennett
First, Congrats, this is a wonderful and thought provoking post.
2em. Bob said "They are actively alienated by the dominant culture, which is both all around them and inaccessible to them."
I dunno Bob, most people have too much on their daily plates to "actively" anything of a hate filled nature. That said, I have worked in an all male all white company with the most complacent racist bastards this side of hell, so I know it's out there, just not everywhere.
And certainly not to a degree that can supress an individual who seriously tries to make a go of it.
Dave in #19 I agree, but there's still a ways to go. However, I'm an activist for this kind of thing, and love to help the barriers drop via random friendly conversation with someone of a different ethnic background.
It tends to add warmth to the day.
Again, great post and welcome to BC. You, are a steely eyed blogcritic.
21 - Purple Tigress
It is worrisome that some people still believe that the best way to handle immigrants is: to force newcomers to the country to better integrate into the local culture, starting with mandatory, state-sponsored basic language courses.
There once were such classes for Native Americans and for the Aborigines. Is that really necessary? After all, there are countries that exist with multilingual populations such as Austria and Switzerland. There was a time when in American, Canada and Australia certain native and non-native languages were forbidden. I wonder why the English and WASP Americans are so afraid of languages.
More dangerous is the concept the denigration of cultures.
I ask: Why shouldn't immigrants maintain their cultural values? Why shouldn't Hindus and Muslims, establish their own places of worship? If the situation was reversed, I think most British and Americans in other nations would expect the same privileges.
Should all immigrants in the UK become Anglicans? Should they all worship British nobility? Should they all only speak British English?
When you get home, why shouldn't you be able to relax, speak your own language and embrace your culture? This is, after all, the reverse side of the Raj and the rest of the British Empire and all empires.
People retreat into cultural or ethnic ghettos because there is some comfort in being near people who easily understand you and there is also safety in numbers.
I have lived in England--both North Yorkshire and, for a few months, London. When I experienced racism or hate, it was comforting to be with other people who were seen to be like me. I was lucky. My friend looked too Middle Eastern to get work. Her college degree was no help. In England, the interviewer could ask questions that were not permitted in the US such as race, nation of birth, age and marital status.
There is less protection for people of different religions in England than in the US. A decade ago, Hindus and Muslims and even some Christians sects had to get a registry marriage as well as their religious ceremony because England (as opposed to Scotland and Northern Ireland) does not recognize their religion and their places of worship in the same way that they do Anglican and Catholic churces.
This is one point of alienation, one point where the Hindus and Muslims and others are given a clear message that they are not considered English and fully accepted. There are, of course, others.
In the US, I have experienced racism in housing, in being served at a restaurant and in so many other ways. This is what causes me to know that for many I am not seen as American even though I was born and raised here. At least in England, when people saw me as a foreigner, I was one.
My grandmother never learned English. She was too busy working on the farm and raising children. I see many immigrants here who work so hard and would find the coursework necessary to learn the English classes too time consuming. I see this too in other places, such as stay-at-home American mothers in Japan. Japanese is, of course, a hard language, but so is English. Perhaps the Japanese should have mandatory classes for every foreigner that has a resident visa. Perhaps they should make them also take courses in Buddhism and Shinto. Perhaps all countries should be stop being "noble" and "naive' and place these requirements on people with a visa of a year or more.
I'm sure the Americans and the British would object. And when they did, what would they accuse the governments of doing?
22 - Natalie Davis
Worrisome, indeed. Surprising? Nope.
Excellent, excellent points in #21.
23 - john taylor
As a member of The Socialist Workers Party and Unite against Fascism ,I have to say this is just a cheap shot to sell a book.With so much racism around this just fans the flames of ignorance.
24 - with karate ill kik ur ass
re comment 21:
nobody should worship english nobilit. england suks, not that iv got anything about ppl that com from england, but england suks!
25 - with karate ill kik ur ass
sory thats meant to be 'against ppl that r english'