news details |
|
|
| Shilpa Shetty's tormentor Goody a role model! | | |
BL KAK
NEW DELHI, JUNE 7: Jane Goody hit the headlines when she tormented Shilpa Shetty from India recently in London for no fault of the latter. Nonetheless, one should appreciate Jane Goody's gesture of visiting India after being in the eye of the storm of protests from British Asians following the Shilpa Shetty row. The much-vilified Big Brother contestant admitted to not knowing enough about other cultures. Hence, she opted for the trip to India to make amends.
She could very well be a role model for her fellow Britons! Her gesture shows that to maintain cultural harmony in an avowedly multicultural society like Britain's, you need to be sensitive to the values of other cultures and do away with your prejudices. You have to start what is known as a critical cultural dialogue and try not to impose your own values on people who do not belong to your culture. As the cliché goes, one size doesn't necessarily fit all. But the British government seems to hold a different opinion.
It has once again announced that tough laws for migrants are in the offing, as part of a "citizenship revolution". British lawmakers have asserted that citizenship is not a gift but something that has to be earned. And for that, migrants have to show good behaviour and pass exams testing their fluency in English and knowledge of the UK. In fact, in 2005, the UK authorities introduced a Britishness test comprising a set of multiple-choice questions for anyone who wishes to settle in Britain.
According to the immigration authorities in the UK, such measures are needed to counter threats from "Islamist extremism" and nationalist forces like the BNP that allegedly undermine social cohesion in the country. At the same time, they maintain that the growing mood for British nationalism should also be taken into account.
So, Britishness tests are apparently needed to establish a nationalist multiculturism or multicultural nationalism with the British culture as the homogenising agent. But is the idea feasible? Will other cultures conform to it? Will it dispel the climate of fear and paranoia among residents?
A poll conducted in the UK showed that a majority of British Muslims surveyed believed that the UK authorities fabricated evidence to incriminate terror suspects held for London blasts. The Commission on Integration and Cohesion preparing the immigration laws should take note.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
