The doctrine of multiculturalism (i.e., the half-hearted attempt to justly coexist with the scary brown people now living among ‘us’) has recently come under great scrutiny in Britain. Politicians, journalists, and other talking heads are starting to wonder whether the cultural openness of both the British state and society has made possible the radicalization of Britain’s immigrant youth, particularly Muslims, thus leading to spectacular events of terrorism like the 7/11 bombings. Perhaps we have simply been too tolerant, these pundits argue, too free with the vast dark masses that we have imported as a source of cheap labour (after extracting the natural and human resources of their home countries for the last four hundred years). Perhaps they must be made more like ‘us,’ so they don’t do things essential to their own cultures, like bomb, rape and steal. Responding to these criticisms as well as the concerns of the immigrant communities, Prime Minister Tony Blair gave the following comments:
For the first time in a generation there is an unease, an anxiety, even at points a resentment that our very openness, our willingness to welcome difference, our pride in being home to many cultures, is being used against us; abused, indeed, in order to harm us." [link]
"When it comes to our essential values - belief in democracy, the rule of law, tolerance, equal treatment for all, respect for this country and its shared heritage - then that is where we come together, it is what we hold in common. It is what gives us the right to call ourselves British.”[link]
Right, your openness is being used against you; immigrants were allowed to come to Britain because of Britain’s deep commitment to equality and human rights, not because it was in Britain’s economic interest to ‘welcome’ them. If Britain’s only motivation in granting immigration rights and asylum were the essential British qualities of humanitarian kindness, why has it cut off all immigration from Europe’s Roma (Gypsy) community, easily one of the greatest victims of societal discrimination and repression in the world. The ‘west’ needs to stop pretending its Diaspora communities were created by its own humanitarian concern rather than by its own economic necessity. ‘Give us your poor huddled masses’ not so we can clothe and shelter them, but so we can put them to work in cramped factories doing all the work that we don’t want to do.
Also, the ‘essential’ British value of tolerance? What? My understanding of the word ‘essential,’ is that ‘essential’ things are constant through space and time. As anybody even cursorily familiar with British colonial policy (either in the home or metropole) will tell you, tolerance was not among its salient features. A shared heritage? The only shared heritage a British Asian has with his white countrymen is precisely this history of colonialism, not founded on tolerance and not worthy of respect or pride. The condition of being ‘multicultural’ in modern Britain demands that we be critical of a ‘shared heritage,’ not valorize and celebrate it.
Radicalization does not occur because people are too free; it exists only where there is a significant degree of economic and social oppression. Address that Mr. Blair before you go on whining that everybody in Britain doesn’t conform to its supposed ‘essential values.’ Immigrants are tired of being, in your own words, “taken for a ride,” and events like 7/11 will happen again and again if steps are not taken to combat the racism and discrimination that forms their daily lives. I used to have some hope for Britain, especially when comparing it to immigrant policy and discourse in France, but it seems like Britain is abandoning an already sanitized notion of multiculturalism for a cultural arrogance that will simply reinforce everything it purports to hate.
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Over 18,000 visits and no comments. Could there be a better illustration of the way multi culturalism has not worked. The only thing it has achieved is the abject cowardice of people to speak freely about how they feel for fear of being branded racist. Being married to one of your so called "scarey brown persons" at least you cannot shut me up with that clap trap so I will state the following.
I have never been consulted, nor have any of my parents generation, as to whether I wanted to live in aforesaid multi cultural society. Has it finally dawned on the great and the good that we are essentially unhappy with the present state of affairs?
25 years ago my Arabic husband ASKED me to marry him and 4 children later we are still together. Do you honestly think the endless political correctness has helped us in any way? The future happiness of my children is dependant on being a part of British/western society, not some ghettoised fringe. Particually as the ghettoes are full of racist, sexist, homophobic reactionaries who would drag us back to a dark age society where nothing is ever questioned as you cannot even discuss the Word of God.
Why should our society be asked to adapt and embrace backward customs and beliefs simply to make a minority feel more at home? In the long run it is the children of migrants who will have to pay the price of such ridiculous policies, feeling neither comfortable in Britain nor the country their parents originated from. But of course the chattering classes will be happily able to congratulate themselves on how un racist, unbigoted and modern they are.
"The ‘west’ needs to stop pretending its Diaspora communities were created by its own humanitarian concern rather than by its own economic necessity. ‘Give us your poor huddled masses’ not so we can clothe and shelter them, but so we can put them to work in cramped factories doing all the work that we don’t want to do."
And perhaps you need to admit that many people came here to accept these jobs because it afforded them opportunities for work, education and free healthcare-- and often freedom of religious or political practice that were not afforded them at home.
"Radicalization does not occur because people are too free; it exists only where there is a significant degree of economic and social oppression."
This is not true. Many violent nihilistic movements have had their roots in well educated and priveleged middle classes. The 7/11 and 9/11 bombers were neither poor nor oppressed in any realistic sense. Any number of communities have confronted racism when they arrived in Britain-- but we have only ever had an Irish and Islamic terrorist threats. This is because they were driven by political and ideological forces.
BTW whilst it is an undeniable fact that many immigrant groups are poorer than the rest of the population this does not mean they are "oppressed"-- like it is some sort of deliberate policy. We do have problems with poor white folk too.
"Immigrants are tired of being, in your own words, “taken for a ride,” and events like 7/11 will happen again and again if steps are not taken to combat the racism and discrimination that forms their daily lives"
Yeah and people will never like you until you sweep the huge chip off your shoulder.
Anonymous:
Presumably, you deem yourself as a person who is not "racist" just because you are married to a non white Briton. Just to set the record straight, you can still continue to hold racist views, especially if the person you married feels the same way you do. Which is why you can so easily make the following comments:
You one: automatically assume that ghettos are overwhelming non white and; and two, since they are non white, they are by nature full of "backwards customs," as if by default. Why do you automatically assume this? Look at these two quotes and tell me if you are not contradicting yourself when you say that you are not racist, but then you go on to say these two thoughts.
"We" I am assuming means "white" Britons, correct?
Let me tell you something: immigrants and the descendents of immigrants never asked to have their country of origin colonized by the great imperial powers. There are specific reasons for how and why immigrantion occurs, and political, economic, and historical shared bonds are one of them. Why do you think there are so many South Asians in the UK? And those from the Carribeans? Were these places not former British colonial possessions?
You've got that wrong: in the long run, it's not British society "being asked to adapt and embrace backwards customs" blah blah blah that is going to make the children of migrants live in a difficult situation. The children of migrants will have to pay the price of such ridiculous thoughts as yours.
And of course, you will congratulate yourself on how "un racist, unbigoted and modern" you are just because you married someone that is not white.
BTW,
"Arabic" is the language, "Arab" is the ethnicity. Your husband is an Arab, not Arabic.
Also:
Are you referring to the website as a whole, or just this post? Because that number refers to the number of visits to the website, not this particular post.
Stephen:
This is also true.
However, I think Aatish's point was more on immigration policies rather than why people themselves migrate. The UK, like the US and any country that “recieves” immigrants often bases and structures their immigration policies on the dynamics of the labor market and the current state of the economy. The UK permitted migrants- largely from former colonial possessions- particularly for the economy. This is not different from the US: post 1965, massive numbers of immigrants were allowed into this country precisely to fit the niches of the labor shortage. In that time, the global economy was being restructured, and there was an immense need for highly skilled labor. In the 80’s, the US economy saw a recession, and again, immigrants were let in, but those who were “low skilled” workers to take over low wage jobs. It is along these same lines that Aatish makes his assertion, and he is not off the mark.
If only you could connect the two thoughts that you’ve stated here and go further. It seems to me that you are saying that Irish and “Islamic” communities are the only ones that are problematic in the UK. But the you say that they are driven by “political and idealogical forces”. I’d underline the “political” forces part. Much of the UK’s dealing with Ireland and the Middle East has not been “unproblematic,” and if you are an honest person you will admit that. So there are reasons why SOME (not all) are counteracting these very policies and dealings of the UK government and also UK society. You can’t tell me that a British Asian is not going to be resentful, frustrated and pissed off at the constant villification of them by the mass media, some British politicians, and segments of the British society.
I think that on the whole multi-culturalism is doing pretty well. A few bombs here and there and other disturbances are all part of the process. We couldn't have hoped for anything better.
Why, what an intelligent and well thought out comment! [close sarcasm tags]
Hey, I know: UK and US intervention to "bring democracy" is doing pretty well...a few bombs here and there, hundreds of thousands dead, the unraveling of entire societies, imposition of a market style economy constructed to benefit the US and Western Europe, and other disturbances are all part of the process.
Based on your logic above, now, whenever I see an American and a Briton, I'm going to automatically take them as the representative of the "coalition" soldiers that are flying F-16's and dropping bombs over Baghdad, the ones that shoot em' up, the ones that have raped Iraqi women, the ones that have tortured people.... you see how flawed your
visceral and misplacedlogic is, right?The British could learn from the French model of multiculturalism... oh wait I believe they had a few problems with that too.
Yes, actually i agree. One of my biggest problems with ‘multiculturalism’ is political correctness it employs to stifle any real, meaningful discussions on race, communal rights, identity etc., often silencing the passion and irony native to so many of these issues. That being said, this does not give one an excuse to be wantonly racist. Racism is often contextual, very rarely (except in its most obvious forms, e.g., use of epithets etc.)does it exist in a form not needing some level of interpretation. We, presumably, are thinking, feeling beings capable of such things, so rather than resorting to whatever term happens to be in vogue, we should seriously think about how and why we are saying the things we do. I am also disturbed by your belief that being married to an Arab (who as you emphasized, ASKED you to marry him, instead of what, throwing you on the back of a camel and riding off into the desert?) exempts you from being racist. Being a minority, being married to a minority…none of these things makes one ‘not a racist.’ South Asians, for example, can be (and often are)among the most spectacularly racist people on the planet. Racism is about power, about a hierarchy that cannot be seen as whites on top and an undifferentiated mass of minorities on the bottom.
Wow, well that hits close to home. So my only two options as a child of immigrants are a)complete assimilation into ‘british/western society,’ or b)ghettoization. Thanks! Youve hit the nail on the head, this is precisely the problem of diasporas. Too bad youve accepted this as a given, and not as something that must be interrogated and changed. This is most likely because you see nothing wrong with complete assimilation. Putting aside any concerns of ‘holding on to culture’ and the like, this is likely to be unsuccessful as your children, particularly in a climate of rising Islamaphobia, (dont know what religion if any, you, your husband, or your children practice, but if they look even a little ‘Arab,’they will likely be subject to loads of ignorant shit) will never be allowed to feel wholly part of ‘british/western society.’ And it will suck even more that they have a mother so wholly insensitive to these issues.
I don't know what you mean. How you paraphrase my views is exactly how I meant them. Except that I did not say Islamic or Irish communities were "problematic". I don't believe that at all as I dont hold the deeds of the 7/11 bombers or Enniskillen against muslims or Irish generally. The point that I am making is that the terrorism we have had has little to do with racism or oppression in this country (as claimed).
Uhu.. I take it you are talking about Iraq. A bad idea I agree. However whilst accepting and believing the sincerity of the 7/11 bombers when they say that this and Afghanistan etc.. were their motivation I have to say that they are complete hypocrites. It is after al Al-Quaida in Iraq that has done its best to foment civil war and is constantly murdering their fellow muslims with car bombs. So it makes no sense for them to cry crocodile tears over deaths in Iraq when they and their Baathist chums seem to be killing more than anyone else.
As to
No sweetie, not only. Look at British history and contemporary history, please.
Who is "they"? British Asians?
Interestingly enough none of the malcontents of the multiculural mess shed any (crocodile or genuine) tears for Darfur or the 100s of thousands killed in Africa by Arab sponsored militia. Iraq is the be all and end all of their supposed discontent. Blame Whitey is always the theme.
Anonymous:
Says who? You?
Come on, you can do better than coming up with unintelligent two liners as in your previous comments. Stop seeing what you want to see, and then come back. Or, you can continue to spam this thread.
Have any of the 7/11 bombers or their ilk ever protested Arab sponsored wars in Africa ? Just curious. Have they attacked Arab civilians for the same "guilt by association" for what their government sponsors ?
I don't know, why don't you go ask them? It seems like you've got the minorities down to the T in the UK. You seem to know every single one of them, which allows you to make blanket statments. Why do you keep equating the "7/11 bombers" with multiculturalism?
It's getting to be a waste of time responding to you. Have a nice day.
Um... I asked that because the original poster in the excerpt above made a blanket statement claiming to know what the reasons for 7/11 was, and what would be the cause for more such events. Now isn't that a blanket deduction too ? The claim made was that that a failure of multiculturalism had caused that. So am I not the one "equating 7/11 bombers" out of the blue.
What a question. Do I really have to break it down for you?
British citizens who protest the government's policies and the UK presence do so because it is their government. The UK has not been funding the genocide in Darfur (at least, as far as I know).
Now why you would automatically associate British Asians with Arabs and Arab governments is beyond me. Are they supposed to say something?
Also, do you notice the white Brits who oppose the same foreign policies? Because there are some, you know. Why you continue to harp on British Asians is beyond me.
Have "white Brits" participated in bombing civilians claiming it was related to something happening in Iraq ? It is the British Asians (of Pakistani descent mostly) who have taken on the mantle of protesting events in Iraq in such a violent and bloody fashion. As far as I have seen , no Iraqi Briton has been arrested for the plots. Which I find curious, i.e what is the axe that Pakistani-Britons have to grind over a country that is not in any way connected to their ancestral origins.
Are you being ridiculous on purpose? Who the hell do you think is bombing civilians in Iraq? Are there not any UK soldiers? I'm not making excuses for your "7/11," but what I find stupefying is your seeing what you want to see. Also, why do the deaths of British civilians get your ire, but not the death of Iraqi civilians?
I'm done with responding to your comments. It's a waste of my time in pointing out fairly obivous things.
I am not sure why you are getting so worked up... and you have missed the point I raised, i.e I would understand it if the 7/11 bombings were conducted by Iraqis. But they aren't... the bombings are conducted by second gen Pakistani Britons. In what way has multiculturalism's failure caused Pakistani Britons to conduct a terror war in the UK for Iraq ? There... is that clear ?
What the hell is that supposed to mean? My comments clearly refer to the 7/11 bombers not British Asians. That's the second time you have bizarrely tried to find some slur in my words that isn't there. Poor show.
ps I just spotted this. The answer is Baathists and Al Quaeda the masters of the 7/11 bombers as you well know. If you think UK troops are setting off car bombs then you are a fantasist.
It's not "poor show" on my part, it's inarticulate writing on your part. I wasn't sure what you were saying so I asked.
Wow...so UK and US soldiers and governments have nothing to do with what is going on. Ok. Like I said, you, Anonymous #1 and #2 are seeing what you want to see. You see retail terrorism when there is also wholesale terrorism.
I know what you all can do here: instead of sitting behind the computer and posting comments like the above, why don't you go out and talk to people? Ask them. Go to the "ghettos" and chit chat. Confront those that sow fear in you. Alternatively, you can inform yourself by reading books on contemporary British history and politics. Maybe that will help (also, I really don't have the time-- as much as I wish I did-- to systematically break down what you three have been saying).
Ok... how old are you ? You seem to have the self righteous assurance of the neo-communist Che-Guevara-is-so-cool 20-something college socialist. I am nearing my 5th decade. Grew up when the SLA, Baader-Meinhof and Italian Red Brigades were wreaking havoc in the world. I have seen conflict upclose and bloody. Have you ? I have had a bit more real life experience with the members of such groups shall we say and the scars to prove it. I don't need to chit-chat with anyone. Would you chit-chat with members of the National Front or KKK to know how they feel about you ? What was Communist sposored terror in the 70s has now been replaced by a combination religious-political Islamic terrorism in the Oughts. The idealogy may be different, but the methods and the bloody carnage is the same. So beore you act so smug with your academic ivory toweresque "read some books" advice, get out in the real world. So of us have been out there for a while and have experienced and understood a bit more than you have. Good day.
Yeah yeah yeah....how would you know how old I am? And how did you deduce that I'm some "neo-communist Che-Guevara-is-so-cool-20" etc based on my comment that you should go talk to people?
Why is reading books "academic"? And how do you know that I haven't been out in "the real world"? Give me a break. Just because my experiences are different from yours doesn't mean that I don't "understand" as much as you do.
This exchange is veering into personal attacks rather than engaging with what has been written. If you don't like my "go and talk to the people that you hate" bit, you can have a nice day, too.
[...] Jump to Comments I’ve been meaning to write this post for a long time. But after Aatish’s timely post, I decided it was time to write [...]