Author: Vijay Dutt
Publication: The Hindustan Times
Date: May 13, 2002
British Minister for Europe Peter
Hain has warned that Muslim immigration and the backlash against it poses
a greater danger than racism and tensions arising from it.
He criticised sections of the Muslim
community for being "very isolationist" and said their behaviour allowed
the extremists to exploit cultural divisions.
The minister also pointed out that
the increased number of immigration from Islamic countries together with
the refusal of some to adopt British culture threatened to "create real
difficulties".
These comments were made by Hain,
a campaigner against racism and a founder member of Anti-Nazi League in
Britain, while discussing in an interview with the Sunday Times, the rise
of the far right in Europe and the murder of Pim Fortuyn, the populist
Dutch politician who had been highly critical of the Muslims in his country.
He used to say their culture was backward.
Hain said, "Islam is now a much
bigger factor than racial tension and we are going to need to resolve that
together." He mentioned religious intolerance as a threat to racial harmony.
Hain's remarks have, however, irked the community leaders.
