Conservative leader David Cameron told the BBC One’s Andrew Marr show he agreed that “state multiculturalism” had been the wrong approach.
Mr Cameron said: “What he said was that state multiculturalism – the idea that as welcoming people into our country and keep them all in silos, and treat British Muslims as Muslims, rather than as British citizens, treat British Jews as Jews rather than as British citizens – that is wrong.
“I think trying to integrate more, trying to bring people together more, trying to build a strong British identity for the future, I think that’s absolutely right.”
His former home secretary Dominic Grieve backed Mr Cameron’s opinion, and warned British multiculturalism approach has left a “terrible” legacy which has allowed extremists to flourish, the Guardian reports.
He said “cultural despair” has led “long-term inhabitants” and newer arrivals to feel alienated and unsure of UK values.
“Some second- and third-generation immigrant communities who say they don’t know what British values are and that they’re alienated.” Dominic said in an interview with the Guardian.
As an Anglican, Mr Grieve drew out Britain should not ignore the importance of Christianity, and warned against downplaying Britain's Christian heritage.
He said: “The role of Christianity is really rather important. It can't just be magicked out of the script. It colours many of the fundamental viewpoints of British people, including many who have never been in a church.”
He went on warning the vacuum created by multiculturalism is to blame, as both the BNP and Hizb ut-Tahrir rise.
He added: “They are two very similar phenomena experiencing a form of cultural despair about themselves and their identities.”
According to the BBC, Dominic Grieve is not the first Tory home secretary to speak out against multiculturalism.
Followed the London bombing in 2005, Dominic’s predecessor David Davis called on the government to scrap the "outdated" policy, saying that allowing people of different cultures to settle without integrating is wrong, because it lets the “perverted value of suicide bomber” take root.
He urged ministers to build a single nation and claim “respect for the British way of life”.
However, the Muslim Council of Britain told the BBC there is no contradiction between multiculturalism and integration.
David Davis went on saying he strongly opposed Mohammed Naseem, Birmingham Central Mosque chairman, who focused his anger on the security services rather than the London bombers after one of the suspected terrorists was arrested in the city in 2005.
Mr David said: “The question now we should ask is what has been happening inside Britain’s Muslim communities and how the perverted values of the suicide bomber have been allowed to take root.”
He also expressed his worrying on the authorities seemed have encouraged more with distinctive identities than with promoting common cultural values of nationhood.
Showing posts with label multiculturalism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label multiculturalism. Show all posts
Wednesday, 8 July 2009
Tuesday, 7 July 2009
London Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival celebration in UK
Date: 28 January 2009
Event: London Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival 2009
Details: The event was held at the London Regatta Centre in the Royal Albert Docklands from 10am to 5pm.
The 12th London Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival 2009 attracted thousands of visitors to celebrate this spectacular traditional Chinese festival.
Around 40 dragon boat teams from all over the UK and Hong Kong were competing in a day of racing on London’s River Thames.
Most of the rowers are corporate and public sector organisations employees, wearing fancy dresses and all raced at least three times in the course of 200m.
Londoners, people with different nationalities and ethnics were cheering up along the river side. Apart from boating, they were also amazed by a variety of splendid cultural programmes.
The highlights of the whole day programmes are Lion Dancing accompanied with living music, Spectrum Radio featuring Kung Fu performance, a charming display of Chinese calligraphy, Chinese arts and crafts, as well as tasty food and drinks.
The whole day events was organised by the London Chinatown Chinese Association, the London Chinatown Lions Club, the Hong Kong Executives Club, and supported by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, London.
Ms Rita Lau, Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development from Hong Kong government, said to a Hong Kong Press that she is delighted to be at London Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival, and see so many people having fun, learning about Chinese culture and Hong Kong.
She also said that though Hong Kong is a small place, but it is a popular stage for world-class sporting events. Like in the coming year, Hong Kong will have the honour of hosting the International Dragon Boat Festival, and it look forward to welcoming UK boat teams and visitors to this upcoming great sporting event.
The Dragon Boat Festival is originally set to commemorate the greatest idealistic poet and reformer Qu Yuan who committed suicide by drawing himself into the Mi Lo River in the third century B.C., as he was devastated to learn his country was invaded by the rival kingdom.
Immediately after his suicide, the locals raced out in their boat in an attempt to rescue him, and splashed plenty of food into the river trying to keep the fish away from his body.
Today the festival is gradually exporting to the different parts of world, more as a cultural ambassador staging on an international arena.
While introducing traditional Chinese culture to foreigners, it is also trying to bridge the cultural and mental gaps between Asian and Westerners in order to enhance mutual understanding.
Along the cultural celebration, the event also aims to raise funds to five local Chinese Communities Organisations.
Event: London Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival 2009
Details: The event was held at the London Regatta Centre in the Royal Albert Docklands from 10am to 5pm.
The 12th London Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival 2009 attracted thousands of visitors to celebrate this spectacular traditional Chinese festival.
Around 40 dragon boat teams from all over the UK and Hong Kong were competing in a day of racing on London’s River Thames.
Most of the rowers are corporate and public sector organisations employees, wearing fancy dresses and all raced at least three times in the course of 200m.
Londoners, people with different nationalities and ethnics were cheering up along the river side. Apart from boating, they were also amazed by a variety of splendid cultural programmes.
The highlights of the whole day programmes are Lion Dancing accompanied with living music, Spectrum Radio featuring Kung Fu performance, a charming display of Chinese calligraphy, Chinese arts and crafts, as well as tasty food and drinks.
The whole day events was organised by the London Chinatown Chinese Association, the London Chinatown Lions Club, the Hong Kong Executives Club, and supported by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, London.
Ms Rita Lau, Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development from Hong Kong government, said to a Hong Kong Press that she is delighted to be at London Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival, and see so many people having fun, learning about Chinese culture and Hong Kong.
She also said that though Hong Kong is a small place, but it is a popular stage for world-class sporting events. Like in the coming year, Hong Kong will have the honour of hosting the International Dragon Boat Festival, and it look forward to welcoming UK boat teams and visitors to this upcoming great sporting event.
The Dragon Boat Festival is originally set to commemorate the greatest idealistic poet and reformer Qu Yuan who committed suicide by drawing himself into the Mi Lo River in the third century B.C., as he was devastated to learn his country was invaded by the rival kingdom.
Immediately after his suicide, the locals raced out in their boat in an attempt to rescue him, and splashed plenty of food into the river trying to keep the fish away from his body.
Today the festival is gradually exporting to the different parts of world, more as a cultural ambassador staging on an international arena.
While introducing traditional Chinese culture to foreigners, it is also trying to bridge the cultural and mental gaps between Asian and Westerners in order to enhance mutual understanding.
Along the cultural celebration, the event also aims to raise funds to five local Chinese Communities Organisations.
Tuesday, 30 June 2009
EMMA - multiculturalism embassador and its related thoughts
A fascinating website promoting multiculturalism, diversity and all kinds of humanities stunningly grab people's attention.
Emma, the online magazine, creatively demonstrate the multiculturalism through a wide range of human life - politics, community, education, lifestyle, entertainment and world.
Emma and its multiculturalism awareness
I am very much impressed by the site's outfit, it looks so ambitious, competitive, and also it has a taste of glamorous. The idea behind the site is just as stunning as the site itself.
To promote multiculturalism and diversity, understand cultural difference and accept it, be tolerant there is no good or bad culture, they are just different.
It seems quite an easy sentence to read, to write, or punctuated. But the hidden meaning behind the words are far more weighted and profound.
I once expressed my dislikeness or dissatisfaction of being staying with a foreign family (to a closed friend), the reason is because I think I just can't bear their way of living, more broadly speaking, I find it is very hard and incredibly difficult for me to adapt their life style.
Different stages when confronting a different culture
I think there are different stages when confronting different cultures. firstly, you see/feel/touch different kinds of cultures, then you know there're many differences compared it to yours.
Take a further step, you respond to this kind of different culture, you either accpet it or you just simply walk away, in this case you're not accepting it and indeed you utterly clashed with it I could say.
Some people even turned out to become much hatred, which is the fundamental reason where racism or discrimination coming from.
The other way around, you also can become very much like this kind of culture, and even wish to integrate with it, though the integrating process probably could harshly drive you crazy, it all depends an individual.
Key elements when confronting a different culture are openness, tolerance and trying to put your foot into the person's shose, trying to understand it.
Emma, the online magazine, creatively demonstrate the multiculturalism through a wide range of human life - politics, community, education, lifestyle, entertainment and world.
Emma and its multiculturalism awareness
I am very much impressed by the site's outfit, it looks so ambitious, competitive, and also it has a taste of glamorous. The idea behind the site is just as stunning as the site itself.
To promote multiculturalism and diversity, understand cultural difference and accept it, be tolerant there is no good or bad culture, they are just different.
It seems quite an easy sentence to read, to write, or punctuated. But the hidden meaning behind the words are far more weighted and profound.
I once expressed my dislikeness or dissatisfaction of being staying with a foreign family (to a closed friend), the reason is because I think I just can't bear their way of living, more broadly speaking, I find it is very hard and incredibly difficult for me to adapt their life style.
Different stages when confronting a different culture
I think there are different stages when confronting different cultures. firstly, you see/feel/touch different kinds of cultures, then you know there're many differences compared it to yours.
Take a further step, you respond to this kind of different culture, you either accpet it or you just simply walk away, in this case you're not accepting it and indeed you utterly clashed with it I could say.
Some people even turned out to become much hatred, which is the fundamental reason where racism or discrimination coming from.
The other way around, you also can become very much like this kind of culture, and even wish to integrate with it, though the integrating process probably could harshly drive you crazy, it all depends an individual.
Key elements when confronting a different culture are openness, tolerance and trying to put your foot into the person's shose, trying to understand it.
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