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Sunday Telegraph - Bishop right to tackle no-go area in our minds, by Ed Husain (author of The Islamist and a former activist of the extremist Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir)

Our political class, media and civil society are domintated by good-hearted, middle-class people who do not wish to admit that a well-intentioned idea - multiculturalism - can have such devastating effects. A weekly curry in Brick Lane is not enough to understand the the underworld that extremists manipulate to ensure that their version of a rigid, soulless political ideology - Islamism - reigns supreme in so-called “Muslim areas”. Islam is an Abrahamic religion, not a political ideology. Nazir-Ali seemed to have fallen for the Islamist trap by suggesting that calls to prayers were somehow part of that ideology. While his language may have bordered on hostility towards all Muslims, he did raise a valid concern. A detour from Brick Lane’s curry houses into the local council estates will not compare well with Hampstead. And what of “no-go” schools? Prominent politicians and Canary Wharf bankers who reside in Tower Hamlets do not send their children to local schools, and yet claim that the locality is positively multicultural.

Conversely, in certain council estates in Leeds or Dagenham, a black or brown face will not be welcome. In parts of Bradford, a mixed-race couple can be outcasts, having abuse hurled at them if they enter certain parts of the city. As a country, we have an endemic problem in our major cities, which we must address together. …

Multiculturalism works best when there is an overarching national culture, a strong sense of identity steeped in values of pluralism, respect and tolerance. That is not to say we tolerate intolerance, or allow liberalism to self-destruct because we do not have the courage to confront fanaticism. In today’s Britain, we seem unable to define Britishness or develop an inclusive sense of belonging. This problem is further complicated by the cultural exclusivity of the English and their antennae for detecting “the other”: sensing accents, dress codes, skin colour, class and table manners. Then there is the spectre of Europe. Are we European? British? English? The Scots and Welsh seem to have confident answers. For young people, modern British identity is a social, cultural maze. …

The most vociferous criticism of the legacy of multiculturalism has come from unexpected quarters: Trevor Phillips while he was at the Commission for Racial Equality, and the Chief Rabbi, Jonathan Sacks. Like them, I am not a politician and therefore do not have a constituency to appease or votes to secure. I attended a genuinely multicultural primary school, and then a monocultural secondary school. I know which experience I preferred. Authentic multiculturalism, like democracy, is an ideal that is not always attainable. But in its name, we should not oppress. My generation of British Asians, born and raised in these isles, does not wish to be patronised by the language of “culture”. For me, multiculturalism does a disservice to the very people it seeks to protect. The victims of marital rape in Dewsbury, or domestic violence in Bradford, do not have the linguistic skills, cultural confidence and legal awareness to reject their criminal husbands. The liberal line “it’s-their-culture” is as prejudicial as the far Right’s assumptions.

The debate opened by Trevor Phillips, the Chief Rabbi, and Nazir-Ali must be allowed to continue. Brits of all backgrounds should be allowed to air their views without fear of hearing hollow howls of racism or Islamophobia. We can no longer go on pretending all is well. There are problems that fester in our midst that we need to address. It is time to stop burying our heads in the sand.

And there you are. Again. I’ve barely the energy to read the whole thing, so that’s been rather handily excerpted so I don’t have to make you all do the same.