It is interesting to read today that Leicester is being tapped as the most conservative Islamic community in Europe.
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/edwest/100074751/wikileaks-americans-call-leicester-the-most-conservative-islamic-community-in-europe/
I am rather wary about such generalisations and wonder what is the evidence. I have heard it said that the Asian population in Leicester, again a generalisation, is conservative when compared with say contemporary India. But is needs to be seen in the historical context that numbers of the Asian population of Leicester came from east Africa where their parents were taken or encouraged to go by the Imperial government from India in the first place. It is quite complicated.
Blog readers might want to read Fr Leon Pereira OP Prior of Holy Cross Priory in Wellington Street where he takes up the subject in his weekly column in the Leicester Mercury. See
http://www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk/news/State-sponsored-multiculturalism-breeds-division/article-3197687-detail/article.html
as well as the comments posted by one of our blog readers.
I don't easily recognise my city from the description in the Telegraph and it doesn't instinctively feel to be correct. One Leicester Muslim has said to me though that in his opinion the city is heavily influenced by Wahhabism and that many of the larger mosques in the city have been financed by Wahhabi sources in Saudi Arabia. He has also been made to feel uncomfortable working for the county council on Fridays as workplace prayers have been organised by Wahhabists and it has been difficult to say that he wouldn't feel comfortable joining them, but then felt under scrutiny for not doing so. I'm sure the nuanced differences and strains within the Muslim "community" are largely hidden from the White British population so it is difficult for any of us to comment. Again only anecdotely, some sections of the Indian population in Leicester seem to hold on to socially conservative attitudes that are many years behind downtown Mumbai, if not rural Punjab. But clearly the combined dynamics of class (as distinct from but perhaps including caste), living under racist regimes (as distinct from racist societies), and forced expulsion (as distinct from social exclusion) that impinge on many Leicester Asian families who have been through East Africa will be difficult for Leicester White British to imagine.
ReplyDeleteThis is an interesting addition to the discussion from Saturday night's Letters Page in the Leicester Mercury.
ReplyDeleteMuslims are seeking harmony
I respond to Fr Leon Pereira's article "State-sponsored multiculturalism breeds division" (First Person, February 9).
Several points about integration were made without any discussion about what we are integrating into.
Identities are complex, multiple and changing whichever part of the world you are from. Without a benchmark for integration, it makes no sense to identify one community as the problem when we know that many communities would also struggle to define what we are integrating into.
There is sadly a growing culture of attacking without proposing ways forward. It appears that the Prime Minister's speech on multiculturalism did not reflect that the Muslim community is a community of communities with people from different backgrounds, nationalities and experiences.
This is why Muslims have adapted over centuries to live in all corners of the globe. Without diversity Muslims would have been restricted to narrow geographical areas.
Islam has interacted with the West for hundreds of years, with its contribution to science leading to the European Renaissance.
I trust that as a Catholic, Fr Pereira should be aware of the Second Vatican Council's "Nostra Aetate" which began a stronger push towards interfaith working.
This was supplemented by "A Common Word" more recently which anchored the Muslim commitment to our Christian family.
Fr Pereira made a host of irresponsible remarks such as associating criminal acts committed by a few to the many. His comments on protests at funerals of soldiers and vandalising of war memorials ignores that Muslims constitute the second highest represented faith in the UK armed forces.
Grooming and honour killings occur across numerous communities and must be rooted out. These are evil cultural practices with no basis in any faith. What we must not do is to convince ourselves that there is a "religious motivation" behind these crimes. If that is the case, Fr Pereira would be fully aware of the controversies in the Catholic Church. I would much prefer a more mature and reasoned debate which does not stigmatise and stereotype entire faith community. We should avoid comparing the best of ours with the worst of others.
I would like to offer an invitation to Fr Pereira to sample how Muslims are building positive interfaith relationships in Leicester.
Muslims have a long and proud record of loyalty to Leicester and its interfaith ethos. The list of achievements are endless. Fr Pereira could take part in our Christian-Muslim Charity Dinner, Imams vs Clergy sports, numerous dialogue groups or Mitzvah Day efforts.
My experience with my Christian brothers and sisters is one of tremendous respect, not least through the Faith Leaders Forum chaired by our Bishop of Leicester.
Rather than saying "state-sponsored multiculturalism breeds division", I would say "communities-sponsored interfaith breeds harmony".
Suleman Nagdi, Federation of Muslim Organisations.
An article from Saturday's Leicester Mercury by the Bishop of Leicester.
ReplyDeleteHas PM thought of the impact his words will have?
The Bishop of Leicester is left uneasy by David Cameron's recent speech on Muslim extremism
Last weekend the Prime Minister invited us to consider the difference between Islam and Islamic Extremists. The Prime Minister stated we should support and uphold a noble and ancient world religion, while condemning one cause of terrorism in the world. While I can understand the Prime Minister's decision to raise these issues, I am concerned that he has not understood the Muslim community (or rather community of communities) such as ours in Leicester, and the damage that his comments could make to the lives of ordinary Muslims and the relationships between faiths in this city.
The Prime Minister requests we listen to the voice of ordinary Muslims in our country who despise the extremists and their worldview. If only the voice of ordinary Muslims were heard in this city! They regularly condemn acts of Muslim-initiated violence and terrorism. And yet for all this condemnation, they feel unheard by successive Governments, and singled out as week by week articles appear condemning the majority for the actions of a minority.
The Muslim community in Leicester have worked hard to integrate themselves into the wider society. Muslims can be found living in most parts of the city, and in many neighbourhoods in the county. The many Muslims I have regular contact with are peace-loving, hard-working and exceptionally proud to live in the UK and call themselves British. They are proud of the Christian heritage of our nation, and their place within it. As the Prime Minister has requested, they are proud to be called Leicester British Muslims.
Our city has adopted an identity of "One Leicester" – we are one together, rich in different traditions, cultures and faiths. Many look to Leicester for an example of how to develop a strong, integrated and cohesive community. I would encourage the Prime Minister to come to Leicester and talk to us about what we have learnt, where there are still tensions and our desire to live peacefully with one another, rooting out any who want to destabilise our city.
I agree with the Prime Minister's emphasis on our national culture and on the need to avoid living parallel lives, but would ask him to consider the implications of what he says on the ordinary Muslim. It is they who so often suffer the abuse of many for the actions of a few. We have much more to do as a nation to build the kind of society we all strive for, but I would argue for a more nuanced and thought through debate, understanding the reality on the ground for Muslims, as we go forward.
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