Ruth Kelly & Muslims
British Muslim
Forum consultation event
Speech by Ruth Kelly MP at BMF event held
in Birmingham, 26 February 2007.
Introduction
I’m very pleased to be here.
It’s an honour to be invited to the
Forum’s first consultation event.
This is an important opportunity to think
about how our different communities can live together for years to come.
But perhaps I can start by talking about the past. By celebrating some of
the achievements of our diverse society.
Where we are coming from
Whenever I come to the West Midlands, I’m
reminded how much it has to teach the rest of us.
Over the years people have come from all
over the UK, and from all over the world, to make the West Midlands their
home. Only London is more ethnically diverse.
For generations people of all backgrounds,
races and religions have lived here in tolerance.
And just as, at a national level, our
diversity has enriched us immeasurably, so diversity has driven the West
Midlands’ success in many spheres. From business to politics, from music
to sport.
Think how much poorer we would be without
people like Sir Bill Morris, Dr Sarinder Singh Sahota, or Kelly Holmes.
Take Birmingham’s role in the
Anti-Apartheid movement, reaching out to residents of all races and faiths
to protest against manifest injustice. That experience of coming together:
of standing up for what’s right: and of facing down intolerance, will be
vital as we face today’s challenges.
Old challenges
Some of those challenges are old as the
hills.
There’s nothing new, for example, about
prejudice and intolerance.
There have always been people who have
sought to hold others back because of the colour of their skin, their
beliefs, their gender, and any number of other arbitrary criteria.
And the far right are still with us, still
poisonous. Still seeking to divide our communities with their lies.
We should never stop striving to bring down
the barriers that frustrate people’s aspirations: and we must never be
complacent about the far right.
And we have a great deal more to do to
extend opportunity and prosperity to all - to all parts of the country,
and to all different communities.
A new challenge
[Muslims]
But alongside these old familiar problems,
we face a new challenge today.
It is
the tiny minority who foment divisions within Muslim
communities.
Who seek justification in Islam for acts of
cruelty and terror. There are just a handful of people who offer twisted
intepretations of one of the world’s great religions.
It is incumbent on us all to tackle
extremism.
Everyone has a part to play -Government,
communities, and individual citizens alike.
And it means actions of various kinds.
A security response
There will be times when the police and
security services need to take action.
They have an incredibly difficult job
carrying out their investigations, balancing the protection of us all
whilst managing the impact on our communities.
They need our support because it is
increasingly clear violent extremists are
plotting to harm all of us, irrespective of race, faith or community. [What
is their grievance? Iraq for example?]
I met the West Midlands Police this
morning.
They told me about their efforts to
reassure local communities in recent months.
I commend their efforts - and know how
seriously they want to learn the lessons about handling sensitive
situations.
And it helps no-one when
some people claim the UK is a
police state.
First, it’s nonsense.
[But Ruth Kelly is not stopped
and searched.]
Second,
it’s dangerous nonsense. It feeds the victim mentality that extremists
seek to exploit. It tries to drive a wedge between us.
[But have ‘we’ given cause for
their anger?]
So I applaud the restraint and dignity
shown by the vast majority of Birmingham’s Muslim community during recent
weeks. I applaud, too, the leadership shown by this Forum at a difficult
time.
Winning hearts and minds
A constructive approach from all parties is
immensely valuable when a security response is necessary.
But a security
response on its own will not be, cannot be, enough.
In the longer term our goal must be not
just to stop terrorist atrocities, but to stop people wanting to commit
them in the first place. This means winning hearts and minds.
Reasserting the common values that are the
foundation of a civilised society.
I’ve spoken before about the non-negotiable
values that the vast majority of us share:
They belong to us all, and should be at the
core of a common sense of citizenship.
The vast majority of Muslims, and people of
all faiths, adhere to them.
But making them resonate with some people,
including a small group of younger Muslims, is a genuine
challenge. Central Government shouldn’t try to provide all the answers. It
can’t.
Instead, Government needs to engage with
communities, enabling them to build their own resilience to the
extremists’ messages.
It’s about local leaders who understand the
tensions and the problems in their communities taking action themselves.
So your contribution is absolutely vital.
I welcome the grassroots work that is
already being done here in Birmingham, and that it already making a
difference. Such as this event. It is an excellent example of how the
community and public sector can come together to tackle the alienation and
disadvantage that too many Muslims experience.
I very much welcome the charter of
citizenship that the Forum is launching today.
Its message is one of solidarity and confidence. About being proud to be
Muslim, proud to be British. About reaching out to form strong links with
the wider community and with other faith groups. And about securing the
welfare and engagement of British Muslim women.
There are other excellent examples of good
practice here in the West Midlands, too.
The Dudley Forum has been
particularly successful in engaging young people to explore ways to
tackle extremism and Islamophobia. Dudley’s “Green Light” project has
started to think about ways to dispel misconceptions about Islam, and
promote tolerance. [What
of government & media contribution to Islamophobia? Will Rkelly dare
rebuke the tabloids?]
And I very much welcome the Islamic
Resource Centre’s proposals for a public debate around terrorism, and
young Muslims’ responses to it.
I’m proud that the Government has supported
all these projects.
But they have worked because
the local community here in the West Midlands
has displayed real leadership. Because your voice is more powerful
than mine. And because your actions can be more effective.
And it’s this kind of work that the
Government wants to continue to support.
That’s why
last month I launched a £5m fund
to help local authorities work with their local communities to counter
violent extremism.
Moving forward together
And as we move forward together, let me
raise three key questions:
First, are we doing enough to reach those
most at risk from extremist messages - particularly disaffected young men?
[What disaffects them? Iraq war perhaps?]
Extremists try to exploit myths and
distortions. [and also
reveal the truths behind the spin.]
Young people need to hear from respected
community scholars
instead.
And they need to have the chance for open
and informed discussion about citizenship and faith.
Second, how do we build on what we have
done to establish dialogue about extremism?
Dialogue is a vital part of preventing
extremism. It’s not talking for the sake of talking. It’s about
recognising the problems in our communities, taking a hard-headed look at
the ways to tackle them.
A lot of good work has been done so far to
establish forums where people can have their say. We need to carry this
work on, and take it further.
Third, how can mainstream
community leaders, imams and scholars
make themselves heard to a wider audience?
Too often it’s the more extreme figures who
get the most attention.
If no-one else’s voice is heard, it’s all
to easy to see how the public can think that one view is representative of
wider Muslim opinion. That can cause misunderstandings and tension.
So it’s important to ensure that mainstream
leaders, those who really understand and speak for their communities, have
the opportunity to put their point of view across.
I look forward to hearing what you think
about all these issues. And I look forward to working with you in the
years ahead to make the British Muslim Forum’s Charter a reality.
Conclusion
Your work here in the West Midlands is an
example to the whole country.
I commend your leadership - your efforts to
reach out to young and old, men and women alike - and your connection with
other communities.
And let me assure you that Government
stands with you.
Tackling extremists is not your problem
alone. This is a shared problem.
It is a shared vision of the kind of
society we want to be, and the values we all hold dear.
Violent extremism seeks to drive us apart.
We will overcome it together.
Speech by Ruth Kelly MP on 26
February 2007.
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