Category: Speeches

Introduction Happy Valentine’s Day everyone and thanks to Lord Wei and Jubilee Plus for having me. It’s a year to the day since I went to the Vatican. To say clearly that Britain does do God. And that Europe should be proud of its Christian heritage. Some said that arguing for Christianity at the Vatican was like taking tea to china. They were right: last Valentine’s Day was one big pro-faith love-in. With the largest ministerial delegation ever to visit the Vatican. Further strengthening the UK’s bond with the Holy See. Do good There is one big reason why I made the case for faith that day. Why I continue to do so in my role as Minister for Faith at home… And why, as a Foreign Office Minister, I have made freedom of religion and belief a priority… And that’s because people who do God do good. In other words, very often faith is the basis for good deeds. It influences, it inspires, it impels at every turn. We may see the manifestation of faith as a crucifix around a neck, or a spire on a skyline – which of course it is. But too often we overlook the practical manifestation of faith. The mother and toddlers’ groups, the school assemblies, the fundraiser days, the 98 million hours churchgoers spend volunteering each year. For me, that’s the most powerful manifestation of faith: The collective demonstration of people’s individual beliefs. Church Social Action Survey And here we are today with the proof before us. I must congratulate Jubilee Plus for pulling this research together. And showing that the hours donated by church volunteers have increased by 36% in the last 2 years. That each church in this country delivers, on average, 8 social initiatives in our communities. With more diversity in the projects delivered and 74% of them self-funding. This signifies what a crucial role faith communities play. And it reminds for of something the ever-wise Lord Indarjit Singh said to me: That faith reaches areas of need that government cannot. Which is what churches, synagogues, temples and mosques have been doing since time immemorial. Our approach Under this government you have a Minister for Faith – the first ever such position. And a government which gives faith a seat at the Cabinet table. Not a privileged position but that of an equal informer in the debate. Ladies and gentlemen, in this government we split our approach to faith into 3 clear categories: First, faith for faith’s sake – supporting everyone in their right to follow a faith. Second, tackling intolerance – cracking down on hatred and bigotry against those who follow a faith. And third, faith-based social action – championing and supporting those whose faith motivates them to do good works. Together in Service Let me take the last point first. We have shown with our Near Neighbours programme, which has delivered 400 faith-based social action projects through inner cities… …that working together, using the networks of faith communities, we can make a big difference. And we relied upon these networks during A Year of Service, which marked Her Majesty the Queen’s 60 years of service to our nation… …by helping and promoting small projects, often uniting different faiths, throughout the country. So today it gives me enormous pleasure to announce that we will be building on that, by launching a joined up faith-based social action initiative for the next 3 years. We are calling the programme Together in Service. It will continue the calendar-based model of different faiths taking it in turn, one each month, to highlight all the work that it does and encourage new volunteering efforts. There will also be a Together in Service Fellowship of willing volunteers around the country, and a grants scheme to kick-start new multi faith projects. We will shortly be launching a competition to identify an organisation to lead the programme. And I know you will be as excited as I am about this opportunity. Conclusion However big or small the state is at any one time. And whatever colour of government we have in at any one time. I believe there will always be a place for faith. It’s why we must value it. It’s why we must support it. And it’s why we must celebrate it. Thank you once again for having me.

Baroness Warsi with His Holiness Pope Tawadros II <:figcaption> Your Majesties, your excellencies, it is a pleasure to speak at this OIC Heads of State meeting – and a privilege that I’m the first British Government Minister to do so. I am delighted to be here in Egypt, which among many other things is the home of Al Azhar, the ‘Manaratul ‘Ilm’ for many Muslims across the world. I was deeply honoured to have met his Eminence the Shaykh Al Azhar yesterday and His Holiness Pope Tawadros II today. The invitation to speak here is a clear demonstration of the strengthening bonds between the OIC and the UK. I am grateful to our hosts, Egypt, who have of course taken over the OIC’s presidency this year. I said at the meeting of OIC Foreign Ministers in Kazakhstan in 2011 that we in Britain are deeply committed to building our relationships with the Muslim world. I am particularly pleased that we were able to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the OIC at the UN General Assembly in September. This would not have been possible without the tireless efforts of His Excellency Secretary-General Ihsanoglu – whom I am sure you will agree has steered the OIC towards being a relevant and important player on international issues, and whom I personally consider to be a friend. Freedom of Religion or Belief We have heard today about many important issues. But I want to focus on one. One which threads into so much of what we have discussed. One which is in itself a challenge, but that if we get right, will unlock solutions to so many other challenges we face. That issue is Freedom of Religion or Belief. Islamophobia Now, I know that the OIC has for many years been concerned about the scourge of Islamophobia, or anti-Muslim hatred, and other hate speech. As a practising British Muslim, as a proud member of a minority faith in a majority Christian nation, and as a Government Minister, I am also deeply concerned about this issue. But concern alone will not bridge divides. The question is, how do we address this scourge? How do we defeat it? I believe that the answer is to tackle religious intolerance head-on where and when it occurs, and to protect the rights of all in society. UK experience In the UK we have sought to do exactly that. We legislate against incitement to hatred on the basis of religion or belief, be it behaviour that is anti-Muslim or intolerant of any other religion or belief. But legislation is not the only answer. While incitement to religious hatred remains an offence in Britain, a blasphemy law once on our statute book was abolished in 2008 – in part because we felt it was incompatible with the freedom of speech. To truly achieve societies that are founded on tolerance and acceptance, on love and understanding, we need more than just legislation. We need to nurture these values, to engrain them into the way we look at the world. There are no short-cuts here. It requires patience and time, sometimes a generation or two. So in the UK we are seeking to combat negative media stereotypes… To develop resources for teachers…To support victims……and to improve hate crime reporting. Building a pluralistic society But it’s not just about dealing with incidents when they arise. If we want to truly defeat this scourge we must put in place the building blocks that support a pluralistic society based on tolerance and inclusion. A society where respect for the right to Freedom of Religion or Belief is universal. One in which people are free to make the basic choices of how they decide to live their daily lives. Those choices might include whether to be guided by one faith or another, or no faith at all…Whether to go to a church, a mosque or a temple…Whether to wear a cross around their neck, or to cover their head with a hijab or a kippah…Whether to read the Bible, the Torah or the Quran……or to send their child to a religious school or keep a religiously-proscribed diet. In short, this is all about real life. It is about the choices that people across the world, myself included, make every day. Over the past two years, people across this region have taken to the streets calling for dignity, for freedom, for jobs…demand for basic rights. And of these, the Freedom of Religion or Belief is absolutely fundamental; a universal right for all. And yet people across the world are still denied this basic freedom. They can be victimised or unfairly imprisoned simply for having a religion or belief, and some pay with their lives. For me, being a Muslim is about humanity. I believe that human rights underpin Islamic values, and that those rights are not limited to a specific religious belief or ethnic grouping. This is what motivates me to speak as passionately as I do about the rights of Christians, Jews and others of faith, or indeed of no faith – as I do about the rights of fellow Muslims. The basic duty of governments is to provide security for their people. That responsibility can have no exceptions. So if there is just one message that I hope you will take back from my contribution, it is the universality of Freedom of Religion or Belief. Your Excellencies, some peddle the notion that people of different faiths and beliefs cannot co-exist peacefully, with respect for each other’s views. This misguided notion is held in the West, as it is in the East. Some use political ideology to justify this viewpoint…others use extremist religious views. But I reject that notion. I reject it because history tells us otherwise, and I reject it because of my own experience. The UK’s culture of tolerance The UK is by no means perfect. But I am proud of its culture of religious tolerance; of its position as a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and multi-religious state. It is a country in which people have traditionally been confident of their nation’s Christian heritage and cultural identity. That confidence, together with a history of freedom of speech, has I believe made Britons open to the identities and religions of others. So yes, I accept that there are challenges in tackling this problem, and that overcoming them is not easy. But I have seen through my own experience that in Britain we are rising to them. Consider this simple question: in how many other countries could someone like me, the daughter of a poor Muslim immigrant, rise to a seat at the Government Cabinet table? I believe that we can build consensus and lead efforts to influence cultural norms in our countries in support of religious tolerance. Tolerance between religions, but also tolerance within religions. UNHRC Resolution 16/18 and the January Ministerial And the foundation has already been laid. UN Human Rights Council Resolution 16/18 on combating religious intolerance, now under the umbrella of the Istanbul process, provides a strong basis from which to work. UN member states have all jointly signed up to a call to action to implement the resolution. But what we need is greater political will. Since the meeting in Istanbul in 2011, the discussions and debates on this agenda had only taken place within UN fora or among experts. I felt that we needed to go further. Two weeks ago I hosted a high-level meeting in London on this very issue. I was delighted that His Excellency Secretary-General Ihsanoglu was able to join us, along with Ministers from Canada, Pakistan, the United States and representatives from a wide spread of other countries. I hope that the discussions we had in London will be the beginning of this dialogue. A dialogue in which we speak with confidence and openness, learning from one another and sharing best practice about how we have tackled these issues in our own countries. I am grateful that His Excellency the Secretary-General has agreed to host the next meeting as part of the Istanbul process. This is important, because an honest, open and frank dialogue on Freedom of Religion or Belief and tackling religious intolerance is something we must sustain. Conclusion Your Excellencies, we live in an interconnected world; one in which we can communicate more quickly and over greater distances than we have ever been able to in our history. I believe that it is outdated to view this world through the prism of Christians in the West and Muslims in the East. This is simplistic and historically untrue. Solutions that accept the reality of the pluralistic nature of our nations – long-term solutions – may well be led by Christians in the East and Muslims in the West. By people of faith across the world. Because, like the OIC, I don’t accept that religion is constrained by national boundaries. We need to continue to span these boundaries, to build a better future for our people. It is why as a Muslim from the West, representing the United Kingdom, it is a pleasure and a privilege to be invited to speak and be allowed to play a small part in reaching out to better understanding.

It’s nearly 2 years to the day since I made that speech about Islamophobia. At the time I talked about the scourge of anti-Muslim hatred. From violence on the streets to vitriol online. And, dare I say it, derogatory comments at the dinner table… When I said that Islamophobia had ‘passed the dinner table test’. I meant anti-Muslim sentiment had become so socially acceptable, it could be found even in the most civilised of settings. I got a fair amount of stick for making that statement. There were those who denied the problem existed. There were those who said talking about it was dangerous. But let me tell you what’s really dangerous: It’s when people are treated differently because they hold a different religious belief. It’s when a country turns a blind eye towards that discrimination. And it’s when we allow a perception of a people to become so entrenched that extremists are able to capitalise on it. Because any form of prejudice, bigotry or discrimination is wrong. It’s unBritish. And our desire, our duty and our passion to tackle intolerance is what brings us together tonight. Statistics Let’s look at the situation today: The Association of Chief Police Officers has, for the first time, started to disaggregate the hate crimes reported to police in 2011. And early indications are that 50 to 60% of reported religious hate crimes were anti-Muslim. I don’t need to give you story after story about the mosque that’s been attacked or the women who have had their headscarf ripped from their heads, or abused for wearing religious dress, or the discrimination in the job market or the online abuse. MAMA can do that. These are the problems they record and the people they support every day. Reporting incidents and recording them, as MAMA does, is crucial to tackling this problem. Not only does the data start to show the extent of the problem. It also tells agencies where support is needed. It shows policy makers and authorities where intervention is required. But it’s early days. The data we have is limited. We need more detailed and consistent and accurate statistics. So it’s down to everyone to do their bit to identify anti-Muslim hatred and log it. That’s why, last year, Eric Pickles and I wrote to every mosque registered with the Charity Commission asking them to help to record anti-Muslim incidents. It’s why this government supports MAMA and the True Vision website for reporting hate crime. It’s why we have ensured the police record hate crimes based on the 5 strands of equality. And it’s why we are committed to doing whatever we can about the unacceptable scourge of anti-religious hatred. Perception of Muslims But today I want to focus on a problem that is particularly concerning. Something which I believe is paving the way for anti-Muslim hatred: The negative perception of Muslims. An underlying, unfounded mistrust. A misinformed suspicion of people who follow Islam. It’s not anti-Muslim hatred itself but it can all too quickly create the conditions for prejudice to become accepted in our society. Research by the excellent Dr Matthew Goodwin and Dr Chris Allen lifts the lid on this, showing attitudes towards Britain’s Muslims. Look at their recent polling – indicative data from a recent online YouGov survey. Just 23% of people said that Islam was NOT a threat to Western civilisation. And only a mere 24% thought Muslims were compatible with the British way of life – with nearly half of people disagreeing that Muslims were compatible. Perhaps most disturbingly, nearly half of people polled thought there would be a clash of civilisations between and Muslims and other Britons. This echoes previous research by Clive Field, whose polls suggested that up to one-fifth of adults were ‘strongly Islamophobic’. My fear is this: that seeing one community as the ‘other’ is a slippery slope. That it will enable extremists to advance their twisted interests unchecked. And I don’t have to remind anyone what happens when an unfounded suspicion of one people can escalate into unspeakable horror. Myth busting Now it’s our duty to counteract this perception of Muslims. To those who say that there is a conflict of being loyal to Britain and a Muslim, you have to look no further than Mohamed Farah. Our national hero is a practising Muslim. The double gold medallist saw no conflict between crossing the finish line in the Union Flag and dropping to the ground in prayer. In fact, he showed how seamlessly religion and patriotism can go together. He made that point when he curtly told one interviewer ‘look mate, I’m British’. In fact, British Muslims actually express a stronger affinity with the UK than their non-Muslim counterparts. As one survey revealed, 83% of Muslims said they were proud to be British, compared to 79% of Britons overall. And far from being anti-British as some, particularly the far-right, would have you believe. Thousands of Muslims from the Commonwealth fought alongside the Allies in both the world wars. These patriots fought and died for the freedoms we all enjoy today. People like my 2 grandfathers who fought for this country long before my parents came to its shores. And you will therefore understand why I will not take lessons on loyalty from those on the extreme right. Who demonstrate the ideology of intolerance – the very fascism that my grandparents fought all those years ago. So it is our duty to demonstrate our shared history. And that’s something I’m particularly committed to doing in the build up to the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War. Of course, there are lots of misconceptions about all religions. There will always be those who manipulate and distort religion for their own ends. And there will always be those who give these people a platform. So they can peddle hate and present the ugly face of faith distorted. What I most object to is when people present the worst interpretation of a faith and compare it to the best characteristics of a nation. And from that deduce that the faith and the nation are incompatible. That’s what’s being done in some quarters, and it’s feeding into this negative perception of the religion of Islam. In 2011, the Prime Minister talked about those who ignore this distinction between Islam and Islamist extremism. About those who argue that Islam and the West are irreconcilable – a clash of civilisations. These people, he said, fuel Islamaphobia. And we, like David Cameron, should completely reject their argument. Media Sadly, much of this negative narrative is being perpetuated by certain sections of the media. Research by Dr Chris Allen shows that 74% of people claim that they know ‘nothing or next to nothing about Islam’. While 64% say what they do know is solely acquired through the media! His research shows not just the surge in stories about Muslims after 9/11 but the enormous weighting towards negative stories. Lord Justice Leveson’s report event revealed journalists were encouraged to make up stories about Muslims. And concluded that the unbalanced reporting of ethnic minorities was endemic. But there is good news. We have an excellent – albeit small cohort – of people who are willing to discuss this issue. People like Peter Oborne, Mehdi Hasan, Ian Birrell, Oliver Wright and others. Journalists and editors who are willing to devote their column inches to this issue. And I know many have been brave in covering this story today. Conclusion So 2 years ago I spoke about anti-Muslim hatred and was told it didn’t exist. Two years on, I want us to take stock. So we can look at the problem and look at what needs to be done. So we can celebrate the work being done by journalists, by agencies like MAMA, by academics, by police and by politicians. And where we all vow to come together to tackle this scourge. I have often said that an attack on a church is an attack on a gurdwara, or a mosque, or a synagogue. Likewise, I believe an attack on a Muslim is an attack on a Christian, a Jew, a Hindu or a Sikh. An attack on one faith is an attack on all faiths. And an attack on faith is an attack on freedom. And I sincerely wish that on the issue of this hatred, anti-Muslim hatred, it wasn’t me taking on this mantle. It would be a more powerful message from a non-Muslim, someone for whom this is not personally painful. The fact is that everyone should have an interest in this issue. It’s not just a matter for Muslims or a matter for people of faith. It’s a matter for everyone who cares about Britain being the modern, equal, fair society that we want it to be. After all, anti-Muslim hatred is a form of prejudice. And there should be no place in Britain for this prejudice. I believe things can be better. I think more can be achieved and I know we can lead on this issue. As a Foreign Office Minister I know we are respected the world over for our robust stance against hate crime. Our religious freedoms are the envy of the globe. Let’s strengthen that reputation by proving that we once again can rise to the challenge and stamp out this new and rising form of prejudice.

Introduction Thank you, Madame President. Can I start by congratulating you, and the Government of Pakistan, on assuming the Presidency of the Security Council for the month of January, and I am grateful to you for convening this important debate on taking a comprehensive approach to countering terrorism. Let me also thank the Secretary-General for his introductory briefing this morning. Madam President, Pakistan is on the frontline of terrorism and is making enormous sacrifices – 30,000 Pakistani civilians have died in terrorist attacks since 9/11. In Britain we understand the terrible losses terrorism has inflicted upon the Pakistani people. We feel them deeply too. The people of Pakistan will always have our sympathy, our understanding, and our steadfast support in addressing these problems and in confronting terrorism, as Prime Minister David Cameron said, Pakistan’s enemy is our enemy. Terrorism remains one of the most pressing, and most challenging, of the threats facing our world today. A united international response is the only way for the scourge of terrorism to be defeated. A Comprehensive Approach to Terrorism The world has changed since the 9/11 attacks and other terrorist atrocities such as the Bali bombings and the 7/7 attacks in London. Globalisation has made it increasingly interconnected, its boundaries less clearly defined. These changes have brought many benefits. But they have also brought significant challenges that require a collective global response if we are to overcome them. That applies without doubt to the terrorist threat we face today. It is more diverse, more fragmented, but, equally, more determined than ever to challenge the shared values on which the UN was founded. The United Kingdom therefore welcomes the call for a more comprehensive approach to countering terrorism. Comprehensive in terms of the number of countries working together to ensure its defeat; and comprehensive in terms of the range of tools we deploy in our struggle against it. When faced with a terrorist threat, a military response is sometimes unavoidable. But we must also recognise the link between instability and terrorism, and the need to address the grievances and poverty that terrorists seek to exploit to radicalise and recruit. In Yemen, for example, we need to expand access to justice, jobs and basic services to address these grievances. And in Somalia, the work of our Department for International Development to support police training, to pilot community safety committees and to secure access to healthcare, and humanitarian assistance, is playing a crucial role in countering terrorist threats. The UK is keen to continue its support for the new government of Somalia in its efforts to secure lasting peace and security in East Africa, building upon the success of the London Somalia Conference last year. So our broader counter-terrorism effort must continue to include work to bring countries out of poverty and to build stability. This requires us to take a truly holistic and comprehensive approach – bringing together diplomatic, development and defence work – to countering terrorism. Madame President, we must not forget that financing is the lifeblood of terrorist networks. Cutting off that financing is core to countering terrorism. So we welcome the work of the UN and other international bodies, including the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), in setting and promoting the effective implementation of international standards for combating terrorist financing. Terrorists are also quick to exploit the opportunities presented by technology. In the field of cyber security, the UK is playing a key role in shaping an international cyber strategy, including hosting the 2011 London Conference on Cyberspace. We welcome international initiatives, particularly in the UN, aimed at reducing the threat we face from cyber-crime. The UK is also working closely with our international partners to tackle other trans-national threats, such as drug and human trafficking. In particular, the UK welcomes, and has adopted, the UN Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, which supplements the UN Convention against Transnational Organised Crime. Human Rights and Rule of Law The UN Global Counter Terrorism Strategy emphasises the importance of conducting counter terrorism activity in conformity with international law. The United Kingdom strongly endorses this position: compliance with international human rights obligations is vital to the sustainability of all our counter terrorism work. We need to ensure that our collective capacity to arrest, prosecute and detain terrorists is in accordance with the human rights standards that UN members have signed up to. The United Kingdom is active across the globe in providing security and justice assistance to international partners. In doing so, we consider it to be of critical importance that this work is consistent with our values. The United Kingdom has therefore developed specific guidance – the Overseas Security and Justice Assistance guidance – to ensure that all of our overseas counter terrorism activity is in line with our fundamental human rights standards. All proposals for security and justice assistance overseas are now subject to this guidance. Multilateral Cooperation and UN CT Madame President, the United Nations is uniquely placed to lead and co-ordinate the universal struggle against terrorism. UN resolutions provide the framework for international activity to counter terrorism. And UN bodies, here in New York and around the world, are working hard in different ways to help mitigate the terrorist threat we all face. The United Kingdom welcomes the efforts of all these entities in helping to create the legal framework for countering terrorism, by addressing the conditions that can give rise to violent extremism, and through practical measures to help prevent terrorist attacks. But with so many international bodies involved in this effort – 31 separate entities in all – there is a risk that activity is not as co-ordinated as it could be. We therefore continue to support the Secretary-General’s call for a UN Counter Terrorism Coordinator, which we believe would increase the impact of the UN counter terrorism effort and help promote a truly comprehensive approach. We would need the right mandate, and we would need to think carefully about how best to use the available resources. But we remain convinced that more effective co-ordination within and between international organisations is crucial to our success in tackling the global terrorist threat. It is also important that the UN continues to strive to work as effectively and in as co-ordinated manner as possible with other multinational organisations working on counter terrorism. We welcome the regular EU-UN counter terrorism dialogue and look forward to increased operational co-operation as a result. Similarly, we welcome the important contribution the UN makes to the work of the Global Counter Terrorism Forum. Conclusion Madame President, I would like to thank you once again for using the occasion of your Presidency of the Security Council to shine the spotlight on this important issue. The United Kingdom remains determined to work with Security Council colleagues, the wider UN membership and the key UN counter terrorism bodies to advance our collective, comprehensive, counter-terrorism efforts.

Baroness Warsi’s speech to Operation Black Vote at the Young Foundation CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY INTRODUCTION Britain wouldn’t be the place it is today without the contribution of people from ethnic minority backgrounds. Think of the Commonwealth soldiers who served with the Allies in the wars. Think of the immigrants, people like my dad, who came here to build up our industries in the mid 20th century. Think of our diverse communities contributing to every section of society today. Think of Mo Farah. Our national hero. When Mo crossed the finish line – twice – this summer. The nation got behind this London lad. No one batted an eyelid over the fact that he was a Somali-born Muslim. After all, this guy is British – very British. As he told one interviewer: “Look mate, this is where I grew up. “This is my country and when I put on my Great Britain vest I’m proud.” It said a lot about the diverse, integrated state of our country today. Where everyone – black, white and brown – was proud to drape themselves in red, white and blue. But despite great individual examples, there are still barriers to integration. And today this is more of a problem for us as a country. Why? Because today Britain is in a global race And we can’t just rely on Mo Farah to win this one for us. It’s a race that pits us against counties around the world. It’s a huge challenge of global, economic competition that will determine our future. And we have got a secret weapon to succeed in the global race – The races from around the globe that make up Britain today: Our diverse communities. People with links to places across the world, with business acumen and ideas, with cultural insight and experience and with endless untapped talent and networks. It’s our duty – it’s crucial to our future – to unlock this potential. And it flies in the face of the survey in which 52 per cent of people said that migrants in Britain were bad for our economy. So today I want to focus on what the barriers are to integration and how we can overcome them. BARRIERS First, let’s look at the barriers. I believe that the things that stop people getting on with each other are the same as the things that stop them getting on in life. In other words, integration and social mobility are inextricably linked. Take language. Some ethnic minority groups have much lower levels of English than others. 15 per cent of Bangladeshi and 12 per cent of Pakistani women report having little or no English. Research shows that English language is the second biggest predictor in occupational success, after qualifications. And 60 per cent of people believe that the biggest barrier to being integrated is not speaking the language. We need to get on top of this. The solution isn’t to throw money at translation and interpretation services or at teaching assistants for non-English speaking pupils. It’s helping more people to learn English. 3 That’s why I’m delighted at my department’s commitment to fund English language learning. And it’s why I want to see us go further, finding new and innovative ways to help people learn English. Whether it’s a DVD at home, a CD in the car, a volunteer at the community centre, or an after-school club. Because a common language is the fundamental basis of common understanding. It’s not just language that holds the key to integration. It’s also got to start in our schools. It could not be right that a decade after Labour chanted ‘education, education, education’. There were huge gaps in attainment on the basis of ethnicity. With British Caribbean, British Pakistani and British Roma children falling way behind the national average. So what does this mean? It means freeing up communities to start Free Schools in areas of deprivation, like the King’s Academy in Bradford, so that everyone, whatever their background, has access to the best schooling. It means supporting failing comprehensives to become Academies, so that hard-done- by catchment areas suddenly get the best facilities and the best chances. It’s also means changing the way we support and engage with different communities to bring them into the fold – not leave them out in the cold. This government has moved away from intervention on the basis of race towards increasing the impact of mainstream policies on minority communities. Backing mainstream organisations, like Youth United, which bring together people of all backgrounds. And championing National Citizens’ Service. Not just funding national bodies, but also supporting local projects. My good friend, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Eric Pickles, has led the way in this endeavour. Spearheading the Big Lunch and the Bandstand Marathon, which have brought people together over food and music – shared experience in shared spaces. 4 Championing A Year of Service and the Near Neighbours programme, which have united people of different faiths so they can make a difference, together. And driving forward the Localism Act, so people can bid to run local services and shape the areas in which they live. This sends out a clear message to our BME communities: No longer are you getting the crumbs off the table; You now have a stake in the cake. VALUES Second, let’s look at our values. For people to integrate in our society, I think Britain needs to be better at asserting its values. Back in 2006, Tony Blair urged minority communities to adopt British values and to integrate. But he forgot to point out that Britain needs to be equally sure of its values. As a nation, we need to be stronger about asserting shared British principles Like freedom, fairness and responsibility. Opportunity, aspiration and tolerance. Doing as you would be done by, being proud of the country in which you live. How can we ask people to sign up to our values if we are not sure of them ourselves? That’s why I’ve been so outspoken on Britain remembering its Christian heritage. It’s why I went to the Vatican and called on Europe to assert its Christian identity. If Christian Britain was more sure of its own identity it would be less rejecting of the other. And I believe this government’s pro-faith agenda has reflected that. With Britain, once again, growing confident of its Christianity. And that’s why I’ve been so outspoken on the need for schools to teach history. And I’m delighted that Michael Gove has put history at the heart of our curriculum. 5 Because, as I’ve said for years, how can we know where we’re going if we don’t know where we come from? But not only must we assert our values – we must ensure those values are afforded to everyone, whatever their faith, colour or creed. For too long authorities have dismissed many of the more difficult issues facing minority communities. Some said ‘don’t meddle in these matters’. Others steered well clear for fear of offending. We’ve been treating our communities like foreign embassies… …where rules from abroad apply and wider society keeps well out of it. And for too long, cultural sensitivities have often led our leaders to become morally blind. I believe we’ve dealt with matters differently. When it came to forced marriage, we said enough was enough. Yes, Labour legislated on this issue, but this Government said that forcing someone to get married was nothing short of criminal – so we are making it a criminal offence. It’s the same with the issue of drugs. Where a drug is harming a specific communities it’s not enough to say it’s part of their cultural practice. It’s right to say they deserve the same protection from harmful drugs like everyone else. And that is why for many years I have campaigned for the banning of khat. Likewise we should come down equally hard on attitudes that can lead to tragic consequences. Earlier this year I spoke out on the issue of child sexual grooming. I said that a small minority of predominantly Pakistani men thought women were second class citizens and white women were third class. Because if we shy away from the difficult issues in this country, however uncomfortable, we will never confront them. And how can people integrate in a society when, in the name of cultural sensitivity, we continue to entrench barriers? 6 DISCRIMINATION Third, let’s look at discrimination. Discrimination, intolerance, prejudice and bigotry. We need to stamp these out if we want our society to be better integrated. These un-British traits mean that at best some people feel they don’t belong and at worst their lives and livelihoods are under threat. Labour have done well on legislating on racial discrimination and religious hatred. The Coalition is building upon that, by putting hate crime at the top of our agenda. So in 2010, we made it a requirement for all police forces to record anti-Semitic attacks. We are funding tighter security measures in Jewish faith schools. We appointed the first UK Envoy for Post-Holocaust issues, Sir Andrew Burns. We are funding the Holocaust Education Trust’s Lessons from Auschwitz project. And are committing further funds to the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust. And more than that – we are now finally starting to tackle the more recent scourge of anti-Muslim hatred. As we announced last week, we are funding the Measuring Anti-Muslim Attacks (MAMA) programme. And we established the Cross Government Anti-Muslim Hatred Group, allowing us to respond to the growing problem of Islamophobia, department by department. Fighting bigotry and intolerance is key to enable people to integrate, to participate and to reach their full potential. FUTURE OF BRITAIN We can’t afford to let people be held back Be it by language, by education, by discrimination, by disengagement. As I have said, Britain’s migrant communities are key to our future. Who better to sell Britain to the world than our diverse communities? 7 Whose links extend from Ankara to Islamabad, from Shanghai to Saint-Lucia. Who better to offer the world the products it wants? Than the country that sells naan bread to India; canoes to the Eskimos; tacos to Mexico. Who better to rebalance our economy and accelerate our recovery? Than some of our most can-do businessmen and women. Our diaspora communities and entrepreneurs hold the key to linking businesses across continents. Lady Thatcher once said: “Britain is now, more than ever, a multicultural society: and I think that we are beginning to appreciate the challenges and opportunities for learning that this diversity offers. “A new resilience derived from diversity can only strengthen Britain” She was right. Estimates show that our economy is missing out on £8.6 billion a year – probably more – from failing to fully empower people from ethnic minorities. Imagine what Britain could do if we unlocked all that untapped talent. So we need to break down these barriers. Expose those opportunities and those values. Bring people in from the sidelines, into the mainstream. So the young black British boy doesn’t think he’s more likely to fail at school and less likely to get on in life. But realises that he is not part of the problem, he’s part of the solution. POLITICAL And there is a growing political imperative to this. Now I know the Conservative Party carries baggage on the issue of integration. And the proof is in the polling: the number-one driver of not voting Conservative is not being white. But I believe it’s time for us to reject that baggage. 8 As a Conservative politician, I wholeheartedly do. Whether it was campaigning against Apartheid in the 80s. Helping to set up OBV in the 90s. Taking on BNP leader Nick Griffin in the 2000s. Or today, as Minister for Faith and Communities, focusing on getting the message across: That this Government is committed to a practical, no-nonsense approach to ensuring Britain is fair and inclusive. It’s an approach that works for our ethnic minority communities. As much as it does for the broader population. The debate on multiculturalism has been misunderstood So let me be clear: the multiplicity of cultures in Britain is a good thing. Multiculturalism is the inclusion of various cultures in Britain. It’s chicken tikka masala becoming a national dish. It’s Slumdog Millionaire becoming a British box office smash. It’s a politician who wears a shalwar kameez. But ‘state multiculturalism’ is not good. This means government engagement and funding in a siloed way, which encourages people to live, work and play in separate ways. As I said in 2009, this state multiculturalism is not integration, is not unifying, and is not the British way. The fact is, multiculturalism is a strand of Britishness, not the other way round. The Conservative Party has made some headway in its Parliamentary party starting to reflect the look and feel of our nation in 2010. In fact, in 2010 we made a historic increase in the number of BME candidates we elected. But even when Parliament’s composition reflects the UK’s demography that in itself won’t make us an integrated nation. 9 I used to say that a government couldn’t responsibly govern until it represented all its communities. The reality is that parties in the future won’t have an opportunity to govern unless they have the support of all communities. This issue has gone from being a moral imperative to an electoral reality. OBAMA President Obama’s re-election last week was an important example. The Brookings Institute was right when it published a paper in May called ‘Why Minorities Will Decide the 2012 US Election’. Because last week over 70 per cent of Latino and Asian voters came out for Present Obama. In fact, Latinos probably tipped it for Obama in Colorado and Nevada. And over 90 per cent of black Americans voted for Obama. Credit to OBV and Simon Woolley – you’ve been focused on the need to engage and enfranchise people from black and ethnic communities for many, many years. And you have done a huge amount of work in terms of talent-spotting, mentoring and supporting successful elections of candidates including our very own Helen Grant. The Conservative Party needs to take heed. After all, more than one in ten voters is BME. And by 2050, ethnic minorities will make up a fifth of the population. At the last election, the Conservative Party won only 16 per cent of the ethnic minority vote. Earlier this year, I was at the Republican National Convention when Mitt Romney was adopted as the presidential candidate. At almost every meeting that I had, there was a recognition that Republicans needed to engage with more non-white voters and a concern that they may have left it too late. And as Barack Obama’s re-election showed, they did leave it too late. As I have said on numerous occasions, you can’t turn up at a BME community centre weeks before a poll and expect to win hearts and minds. 10 It’s got to be a long-term strategy. And that’s something we need to realise closer to home. Lord Ashcroft put the Conservative Party’s shortcomings in this area down to a ‘brand problem’. In his report ‘Degrees of Separation’, published in April, he said the Conservative Party’s ‘problem with ethnic minority voters is costing it seats’. He said it wasn’t right that in contemporary Britain a large part of the population should feel a mainstream party, one which aspires to represent every part of society, has nothing to say to them. And that despite the fact that the party has modernised in recent years, despite David Cameron rooting it firmly in the centre ground, despite addressing the core issues that voters care about, it seems there is still a perception that the Conservative Party is hostile towards minority voters. In fact, many people cannot imagine someone like them, either culturally or economically, could be a Conservative candidate. So therefore we must go further. We need to ensure our language and our tone reaches out to and is relevant to people from different backgrounds. To talk about the values of responsibility and enterprise, self-reliance and hard work, connecting our policies with the aspirations of voters from all our communities. To show that we are united – as a Government and as a country – by a desire to propel Britain forward in this global race. Showing that our diverse communities are crucial to that ambition. It’s just as Lady Thatcher said, all those years ago: Resilience derived from diversity will strengthen Britain. CONCLUSION David Cameron talked about today’s Britain at Conservative Party Conference last month And called on us to become an Aspiration Nation if we want to win the global race. I believe we also need to be an Integration Nation. 11 Taking away those barriers that stop people playing their part. Asserting shared British values – and affording everyone those values. Removing discrimination, tackling bigotry and hatred, wherever they arise. And, crucially, unlocking the full talent of Britain’s diversity – a diversity which is so essential to our country’s future prosperity.

INTRODUCTION Your Grace. It is an honour to be included in today’s event and to speak to so many illustrious figures in both communities. And while your departure is a sad occasion… It is also an opportunity for celebration, as we reflect on your time as Archbishop of Canterbury. In which you have done so much to promote the role of religious belief as a source of truth and compassion within society. And so much to enhance the relationship between Christians and Muslims, at home and abroad. FAITH When it comes to the position of faith in Britain The Archbishop and I are singing from the same hymn sheet. We have a common foe: aggressive, intolerant secularisation. We have a common belief: in freedom of religion and the freedom to express religion. The Archbishop was deemed radical when he called for Muslims to be able to wear a headscarf. Just as I was attacked when I argued that Christians should be able to wear a crucifix. To think: a Christian standing up for Muslims, and a Muslim standing up for Christians. But the fact is that we are all standing up for faith. And we know that the only way to tackle anti-religious bigotry, discrimination and even persecution Is for people of all faiths – and of none – to come together and speak out against them. To let the world know that all people of goodwill, whatever their faith, have a respected and honoured place in British society and are able to make their own, complementary contributions to the public good. ISLAM The Archbishop has led the way on this. First, through his interfaith projects here in Britain. Such as the Christian Muslim Forum and the Building Bridges series of events. Second, through engaging with people from around the world of other faiths. For example when we met the Secretary General of the Organisation for Islamic Cooperation – the second largest multi-lateral organisation after the UN. And third, through his thoughtful and ground-breaking scholarship, such as the lectures of which we celebrate the translations today. Where the Archbishop is reaching out to the Muslim world. Showing that our different faiths do not divide us by ensuring our languages do not divide us. For just as St Jerome brought the Bible to the general public by translating it. So too are you bringing your messages of religious freedom, tolerance and progress to millions more people. CONCLUSION So congratulations, Your Grace, on all you have achieved. We wish you the very best of luck in your new post in Cambridge. Today we see your speeches published in Urdu and Bangla. But I know in the years to come we will see your words in GujuratI, in Arabic, in Somali, in Turkish and in many more languages. And we will continue to see your good work having a huge influence on our world. ENDS More details at http://www.archbishopofcanterbury.org/articles.php/2643/archbishops-addresses-translated-for-islamic-audiences