Bagi yang tidak setuju dengan apa yang dikatakan oleh pejabat pemerintah Inggris, pertanyaan saya adalah: Berapa banyak orang2 non Muslim yang ingin tinggal/berimigrasi ke Indonesia, Malaysia, Iran, dan negara2 Muslim atau dengan mayoritas muslim lainnya? Mengapa begitu banyaknya muslimin yang berimigrasi ke negara2 kafirun, dan tidak berimigrasi ke negara2 Muslim atau mayoritas muslim???? Saya harap supaya muslimin yang tinggal di negara2 Barat, yang mengecap HAM yang dilindungi oleh pemerintah Barat tsb., memberikan pencerahan kepada suadara2 sesama Muslim di negara asal mereka. Saya harap muslimin yang berasal dari Indonesia dan yang mengecap kehidupan di negara Barat dimana hak azasi mereka di jamin oleh negara, dan diterima oleh penduduk di negara Barat tsb. tinggal di tengah2 mereka, supaya memberikan pencerahan kepada sesama umat mereka di Indonesia, kepada gerombolan2 hijau di Indonesia, supaya menghargai kebebasan agamanya orang lain, menghargai orang dari turunan/suku yang berbeda, dll. dll. dll. Itu saja. http://archive.gulfnews.com/articles/07/01/17/10097322.html Britain is a good place to be a Muslim 01/17/2007 08:32 PM | By Ruth Kelly, Special to Gulf News I am extremely proud to live in what I think is a profoundly diverse and thriving multicultural society. It is a huge pleasure for me to be working in a role which involves building trust between communities and creating a more cohesive society. Though these messages are sometimes hard to get heard we need to highlight the many and genuine benefits of cultural diversity; something that has huge influence on the prosperity and creative energy of our society.
Of late, although there has always been a debate about immigration, a lot of coverage in Britain has revolved around Islam and first, second and third generation Muslim communities. It is not often said that "Britain is a good place to be a Muslim", but this is something that I hear privately from many Muslims. Indeed a recent survey found that only 12 per cent of white people would be concerned if a close relative married a black or Asian person. Just five years ago the figure was 33 per cent. Facts like this - demonstrating Britain's instinctive tolerance - aren't quoted often enough for everyone to hear. Why is the UK a good place to be a Muslim? Many Muslims have settled and built lives here precisely because they have the freedom to practice and discuss their religion in a way not open to them elsewhere. There are powerful laws which ban prejudice against any individual on grounds of race and religion, and examples of Britain's sensitivity in supporting religious freedom are everywhere: whether it is the provision of prayer rooms by employers; faith schools; or halal food provided in work places, hospitals and schools. Non-Muslim children too learn about Islam and other faiths according to our national curriculum. The market for Islamic finance is thriving in the UK and products are provided by mainstream British banks such as HSBC. This is all within a society and government approach that encourages and supports the concept of equal opportunity, economic freedom and development and educational attainment. Largest religion Nearly two million Muslims make Islam the second largest religion in the UK. We can boast of more Muslims in our two houses of parliament than any other Western European country. There are literally thousands of Muslim associations, organisations and charities. And Muslims who contribute to our cultural life through arts and sports, for example. Core values enshrined in the basic tenets of Islam such as charity and compassion are very much the values we cherish in British society. One only has to look at disasters such as the Pakistan earthquake and the Asian tsunami and the huge response by the UK public - with UK Muslims and Asians leading in setting the example - to realise how entrenched these joint Muslim-British values are. And just look at the money Britain now gives in aid - including significant and growing sums to Muslim countries. Aid to Pakistan up from 28 million pounds to 97 million pounds and in Bangladesh from 39 million pounds to 123 million pounds - all in under a decade. To walk around the East End of London and all the Bengali restaurants near where I live in London is to experience cultural and religious diversity and tolerance at its best in British society. You could be forgiven for thinking that you were in downtown Lahore or Dhaka, with shops offering foods from across South Asia and around the world, and the call to prayer five times a day. But these experiences are shared by a number of communities living in the same place. And indeed, London is home to more than 300 communities which speak over 300 languages. There is a debate in Britain about the dangers of a separated and segregated society. Our aim is to maintain a level of integration and interaction among and between communities - but this does not mean that we respect different cultures and the contribution that many from all backgrounds can make any less. Some would say that Britain should be identified as a Christian country because of its Christian heritage and history, but this is to ignore the role that Islam and other religions and cultures have played in creating these identities that define us today. This is not a recent phenomenon, but the outcome of centuries of exchange of cultures and beliefs. Benefited Britain has benefited from trade and cultural interchange with the Muslim world stretching back over the past millennium and Islamic civilisations have played a major role in transmitting philosophic and scientific ideas for which we are in huge debt. A forerunner for peaceful co-existence despite many religious beliefs was bequeathed to us by Muslim societies of old. A Britain without Muslims would be unthinkable - a very different, less vibrant, culturally poorer and significantly less economically successful place. So I feel proud that with many communities we can also legitimately claim to be a country of one British people whatever an individuals' race, religion or culture. We have shared values and we are a nation in which British Muslims are an integral - a vital part of our society. Ruth Kelly is Britain's Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government.
