Agenda

Since the London bombings on 7 July, one particular word and thought has been dominating the attention of media organisations and, therefore, the public: communities.

We think we understand a word better the more times we use it, but on this occasion the opposite is probably true. We have read numerous profiles of Muslim communities, Asian communities, ethnic minority communities, integrated communities – a welcome change from sustainable communities, perhaps, but one which yields little insight into communities and what they are for.

We tell these communities how to behave, where they are going wrong, and how to improve. We send Home Office ministers around the country to listen patiently to their complaints but who then tell them what is now expected of them.

We proclaim loudly how free speech and liberty are sacrosanct, how democracy is the pillar of our society. Then we start proscribing free speech, lock up people without charge and explain that of course this is a democracy but the rules of the game have changed.

We insist that none of this is aimed or targeted at certain people in our society. We are not into racial stereotyping; in fact we abhor it. But these are dangerous times, we say, and if we are going to catch people intent on bringing death and destruction to these shores, then we’ve got to stop and search those people whose nationality and religion fit the profile.

We tell these communities they must play a much greater role in policing their own people. They must gather intelligence about their volatile youth and pass it onto the authorities. They must root out the potential suicide bombers of tomorrow, but their shared religion and nationality gives them no greater insight into the minds of suicide bombers than the rest of us.

Muslim communities, and there are several of them, want no more and no less than other communities. They seek the same level of security as everyone else, the same job opportunities, housing, freedom of movement and choice of baked beans in their supermarket.

They would like to wear the clothes they feel comfortable in and, if it’s OK with the rest of us, grow long beards. If they have a request, it is for fellow workers to give them the space to pray for a few minutes during the working day.

The actions of a few, very few, have thrust the wagging finger of British society into the faces of Muslims, who retreat and retrench

Muslim communities are no different from other communities. By and large, they would like to be left alone. Sure, we can all learn about each other’s customs and mores, try each other’s food, understand each other’s beliefs. But it is surely a human instinct, and a perfectly reasonable one at that, to spend most of your time in the company of the people with whom you most closely identify.

This business about integration and citizenship is overdone. When Dr Zaki Badawi, chairman of the council of mosques and imams, suggested women remove their hijab in case it provoked violence, he was most certainly conceding ground to reactionaries and the intolerant. Any change in Muslim women’s dress will not stop calls for further integration from some.

Let us, furthermore, be frank about citizenship. The British tend to look with puzzlement and some scorn at the patriotism of Americans and the French. It is not a feature that sits comfortably with the British. Nor does this look like a very cohesive country when we ask people to swear allegiance to a monarchy that has been the subject of derision for several years from press and public alike.

The actions of a few, a very few, have thrust the wagging finger of British society into the faces of Muslims. As communities, they have little choice but to retreat and retrench, their silence masking bewilderment and perhaps a sense of injustice.

But Muslim communities have remained remarkably calm in the face of this condemnation. Those Muslims who continue to hold controversial and highly unpleasant views in favour of terrorism are serving only to damage the standing of the moderate Muslim majority, no doubt their intention.

Nonetheless, Muslim communities have resources and staying power. They will be able to marshal funds for schools, mosques and the other infrastructure that sustains communities, even from a largely impoverished congregation. One imam at a mosque in Leicester spoke with pride of a Tsunami relief project for which his congregation had raised £200,000. Their religious base means there will be no shortage of leaders and volunteers, and elected representatives.

Muslim communities in the main are solidly built and unlikely to fracture. They may not understand British customs as much as some of us would like, but they understand the power of communities perfectly well. It would be a far better state of affairs for the rest of us not to view that as a threat, but as their right.