The government says it will work to restore the Christian faith to the center of public life in Britain. This article from the Stonegate Institute is food for thought …………..
“We have even tolerated these segregated communities behaving in ways that run completely counter to our values. … I believe a genuinely liberal country… believes in certain values and actively promotes them.” — David Cameron
The British government has unveiled a new “integration strategy” designed to “champion a united British identity.”
The new policy will require immigrants seeking admission to live in the United Kingdom to learn English and adhere to “mainstream” British culture and values such as democracy and the rule of law.
The measures represent a continuation of recent efforts by the government to reverse decades of state-sponsored multicultural policies that have allowed Muslim immigrants to avoid integration and establish a parallel society in Britain.
The new strategy document titled “Creating the Conditions for Integration” was published on February 21 and states: “We will robustly challenge behaviors and views which run counter to our shared values such as democracy, rule of law, equality of opportunity and treatment, freedom of speech and the rights of all men and women to live free from persecution of any kind. We will marginalize and challenge extremists who seek to undermine our society and we will neither engage with nor fund such organizations.”
The document continues: “The long-term presence of a highly diverse population is generally an indicator of good integration and a strong sense that different people get on well. But this can be undermined and even reversed by a range of factors, for example if groups within the local community work and socialize separately.”
Among a series of other measures, the government says it will reform laws on immigration and settlement by increasing the requirements on those who want to settle in Britain. Those coming to the United Kingdom to work, study or marry will be required to demonstrate an ability to speak English, and those wishing to remain permanently or seek British citizenship will be required to demonstrate their knowledge of language and life within the United Kingdom.
The new strategy also promotes the teaching of British history and culture in schools and encourages the flying of flags in public places. In addition, the government says it will work to restore the Christian faith to the center of public life in Britain.
For full article by Soeren Kern dated February 24, 2012 go to: http://www.stonegateinstitute.org/2876/britain-multiculturalism