Former bishop Michael Nazir-Ali has criticised Britain’s “naïve” approach to multiculturalism, which he said has led to a way of “isolation” and “separateness” as an alternative of integration.
Nazir-Ali, who got here to Britain after fleeing persecution in Pakistan, said that there have to be a greater emphasis on shared values, history, and traditions if Britain wants to attain a more unified society.
Writing in The Telegraph within the wake of the riots, he argued that the violent unrest was caused partly by existing policies which have allowed communities “to take care of and nurture separate identities”.
“This led to isolation from each other and, as an alternative of mutual give-and-take and learning from each other, to suspicion, fear and sometimes downright hostility,” he said.
Instead, Britain must adopt a more balanced immigration policy that takes into consideration social cohesion, “high worklessness” in some sections of the population, and the capability of Britain’s “creaking” infrastructure to soak up more people.
Nazir-Ali, who was formerly the Anglican Bishop of Rochester before converting to Catholicism, said that the failure to stop people arriving illegally in small boats has been “a big drain” on Britain’s economy and that the country has the “duty to think about the well-being of those already inside its borders”.
“We must proceed to fulfil our moral and legal obligations to those that are real refugees. But Britain can’t be seen to have a monopoly on receiving refugees, especially those coming from protected countries. We need a latest international agreement on nations accommodating refugees,” he wrote.
Turning to integration, he suggested that in an effort to achieve true social cohesion, the population should have a “common memory” and “shared history”, and that latest arrivals to Britain should have “sympathy” for British traditions and values.
“If there’s to be any hope of maintaining and enhancing social cohesion, those coming here to live and work needs to be required not only to have some knowledge of the English language but additionally of the history, beliefs and values which have formed British society. This may be strengthened as they prepare for citizenship,” he said.
“Knowledge is one thing, sympathy is one other. We should expect those wanting to live here to have sympathy for the country’s history, traditions and values.
“Rather than the separateness encouraged by multiculturalist approaches, government policy should seek greater than just a typical language for social discourse. Housing policy, schools, community facilities and even higher education must all actively avoid ghettoisation and reward social mobility and the blending of various communities.”
He went on to say that more have to be done to deal with the needs of economically, educationally and socially deprived indigenous Brits.
“There is not any ‘white privilege’ here,” he argued.
“Without addressing their needs, it’s unlikely that we can be a society relaxed with itself.”
