David Goodhart, the director of the Labourish think tank Demos, has a new book out on the immigration question, The British Dream. It’s caused something of a stir, as these things tend to do.
It draws on many examples from Tower Hamlets and, by way of disclosure, I helped with some of his research. Michael Keith told me he offered some of (largely critical) thoughts as well. And Cllr Abdal Ullah’s wife, the lawyer Ayesha Qureshi MBE, is also mentioned in the text.
In fact, both Abdal and Ayesha were at the launch of the book in central London last Monday night, as was Dr Abdul Bari, the chairman of the East London Mosque, who was another helpful interviewee.
The launch was chaired by Trevor Phillips, who in 2004, suggested David Goodhart was a racist for airing some of his thoughts then. Nine years later, Phillips has retracted those words, so much so that he has offered this quote at the top of the front cover of David’s book: “No intelligent person can afford not to read this book.”
Sitting alongside David and Trevor at the launch were Jasvinder Sanghera, of the Karma Nirvana forced marriage support group, former Home Secretary Charles Clarke, and Sir Robin Wales, the mayor of Newham.
While Clarke bellowed criticisms of the book, seeing it as an attack on New Labour’s record in this field, Wales was more supportive: he agreed with parts, and opposed others. But at the outset of Robin’s speech he turned to David and said: “They won’t stop calling you a racist.”
The rest of his speech was fascinating and I don’t think it would be unfair to say it was also somewhat of a manifesto for what he admits is his next ambition – to be Mayor of London.
I’ll write up more of his words when I have a bit more time to decipher some of the overlapping clauses and sentences that characterise his fast-thinking speeches: he’s quite passionate is Sir Robin.
And passionately opposed to what he sees happening in Tower Hamlets. He said it’s “appalling” what politicians are doing to Bengali kids here: he says they’re being encouraged to be separate and to think in terms of segregation and race.
So, I thought I’d write up a piece for the Sunday Express today: it’s mainly about policies but touches on Tower Hamlets for contrast. Two boroughs side by side, but in many ways, worlds apart.
The version that has appeared in print is here, but a slightly longer version (including far more quotes about Tower Hamlets) is copied below. A mayor of one borough criticising his neighbour so heavily is strong stuff.
Ted Jeory
Home Affairs Editor
AT A gathering of the great and the good to launch his controversial new book on immigration last Monday night, the thinker and writer David Goodhart was asked by a panel that included former Home Secretary Charles Clarke and race relations king Trevor Phillips how he would tackle Britain’s “multiculturalism” problem.
Without any hesitation, he replied: “Make Sir Robin Wales the mayor of every city in Britain.”
A few minutes earlier, Sir Robin, the directly elected Labour mayor of Newham in east London, had won applause after detailing his bold approach to managing the effects of immigration in his own backyard.
In an attempt to create a shared British identity among the many ethnic groups in his Olympic host borough, Sir Robin, a Scot who wants to be the next mayor of London, listed a series of measures aimed at encouraging integration and rooting out the rogue elements that exploit and attract cheap foreign labour.
He revealed:
*foreign language newspapers have been banned from public libraries
*free translation services have been all but eliminated from council services
*learning English is being actively encouraged
*British history is being promoted
*priority on housing lists is being given to those in work over those on benefits
*employers dodging the minimum wage are being pursued
*funding for single-ethnic and single-religious groups is being refused
*private landlords are now required to be licensed
*and local people are being prioritised for local jobs.
For Mr Goodhart, the director of the left-leaning think tank Demos who has been branded a racist for daring to doubt the wisdom of mass migration in his book The British Dream, the speech was a brave and refreshing blueprint for London and beyond.
For Sir Robin, who has ruled Newham since 1995—at the last election in 2010, his party won all 60 council seats–the policies are the results of years of research that is now being fed into Labour’s policy machine.
He believes immigration is good for the country, but unless it is managed well, the impact on local communities can be negative.
The subject needs “detoxifying”, he says, and that requires analysing the complex factors at each local level.
He attacks the “extreme left” for playing the race card whenever the issue is discussed and cites the neighbouring borough of Tower Hamlets, which is frequently highlighted as the basket case of segregated societies, as a case in point. There, where Bangladeshis are the largest population group with 32 per cent of residents, and where Mayor Lutfur Rahman and his ruling cabinet all hail from that community, public money is even being used to teach Bengali “mother tongue” classes instead of English.
It is also where some councillors have poor English, where Bengali is sometimes spoken in the council chamber, where debates frequently descend into false accusations of racism, and where town hall grants are doled out to community groups that cater for just one section of the population.
“It’s appalling what’s happening there,” Sir Robin, 58, said. “They’re trying to create a society that really doesn’t exist.
“We know people from other communities struggle to get jobs but if we encourage them to be segregated and separate, it will be even harder for them to have lives that are fulfilling.
“They are doing damage to young people. I think it’s unfair – they’re not giving the kids in the Bengali community the chance, and that’s not right.
“The kids should be getting experience outside of the experiences their parents have. They are fundamentally wrong.”
Although Tower Hamlets council refutes such suggestions and claims to promote “community cohesion”, it is those observations that have helped shape a different outlook in Newham where the population of 307,000 is even more diverse: white British is the largest group by ethnicity, but at just 16.7 per cent of residents.
Sir Robin, who earns £80,000 a year, says people want the same things, regardless of race or background: clean streets, good education and a safe place to live.
Delivering those to everyone fosters solidarity and integration, he argues.
His buzzword is “resilience”, management-speak for helping people to look after themselves instead of relying on the state.
In Newham, that means applying a few sticks, as well as dangling carrots.
Since 2010, the council has slashed translation service costs by 72 per cent, spending just £17,000 last year.
Only vital services, such as tackling child abuse, now supply free interpreters.
Sir Robin, whose own mother was German, said: “If someone comes to my surgery who can’t speak English, they have to bring their own translator. We won’t fund that.
“We’re very clear about English being important, not just for jobs but so they can take part in our society and community.”
Similarly, he refuses to fund single-ethnic or single-religious groups.
During the Olympics, the council helped to organise more than 1,000 community events, which he said created a shared sense of belonging.
However, one group asked him to subsidise a Bangladeshi-themed street party. “Fantastic,” he told them, but when they said it would only be for Bangladeshis, he replied, “No thank you, you can do it by yourself, but we won’t be contributing.”
One of his next targets is to build a large “language lab” in East Ham where as many people as possible will be able to learn English, and which will also be fitted out with British history books.
“It’s about cultural references,” he said. “Every time I go abroad, I buy a book on the history of the place, so I understand a wee bit more about the people, and that’s’ what I want to encourage.
“We will support integration. If there are people who are not working but who want to learn English then that’s a good thing—we’ll support that because it will connect them to our society.”
He says his policies are working.
In January, Newham became the first authority in the country to require private landlords to hold a licence, a measure geared at clamping down on squalid, overcrowded homes that are often filled with illegal immigrants.
A staggering 38 people, 16 of them children, were found living in one property alone.
His officers are also pioneering raids on rogue businesses that act as a magnet for cheap foreign workers by paying less than the minimum wage.
“Newham jobs for Newham people,” is the mayor’s mantra.
“It’s about fairness, a value that cuts across the immigration issue. It’s about managing that issue, and you often don’t understand the issue until you get down to the local area.”
While that may be good advice to fellow council leaders, he also has a warning for the Government.
Because he believes so strongly that learning English is a major key to successful cohesion, he is astonished by Coalition cuts to funding for ESOL classes (English for Speakers of Other Languages).
“The attack on that funding is a disgrace,” he said.
It is a view shared by his new fan, Mr Goodhart, who also urges ministers to continue ploughing money into the language in primary schools.
As the Sunday Express revealed last week, £270million was spent in 2012 teaching English to the 577,000 primary pupils whose parents speak other languages at home.
While some may baulk at that figure, Mr Goodhart describes it as a “fantastic investment”.
The social and economic costs of not teaching them might well be far higher.
* Disclosure: Ted Jeory was a contributor to The British Dream.
Trial by Jeory 
I don’t know about Mayor of London, I just wish he were Mayor if Tower Hamlets. That’s the way yo deal with immigration and multi-culturslism, not the petty, nasty and spiteful hate-mongering we are subjected to in LBTH.
If John Biggs were to adopt this agenda would he get in as Mayor for LBTH? Do we have a figure for the cost of “bengali services” in Tower Hamlets? Certainly a huge proportion of the grants given out go to organisations centered around Whitechapel.
I’m the one who’s said the most interesting things on Bangladeshi immigration in recent years. A number of high profile blogs, including one posted on this site. Yet this Demos bloke never spoke to me.
By the way, when Robin boasts about turfing people out of over-crowded homes, ask him how many new homes were built in Newham, a borough which is double to size of Tower Hamlets.
Tower Hamlets built 50,000 between the 2 census. What about you, Robin?
Residents Associations built the houses, not the council, with the profits going to the developers.
Take the logic of that argument, then it’s builders who built the houses.
Robin Wales is only passionate about Robin Wales.
If Newham is getting it so right, why has racist and religious hate crime dramatically increased there in the last year?
Crime stats would suggest that it is not working. http://www.met.police.uk/crimefigures/datatable.php?borough=kf&period=year
‘British history is being promoted’
As opposed to what ?
‘Foreign language newspapers have been banned from public libraries’
Why doesn’t he ban foreign books whilst he’s at it.
‘Priority on housing lists is being given to those in work over those on benefits’
Not based on those most in need then.
He is a thoroughly nasty man who I had the misfortune to get on the wrong side of when I worked for Amnesty. He is a misogynist pathological liar and a megalomaniac.
With any luck David Lammy will be Labour’s next Mayoral candidate.
[…] Sir Robin Wales takes aim at the race-ridden politics of Tower Hamlets […]
I agree with a lot of what you have written here Mr. Jeory Saheb. It is an absolute criminal act for local taxpayers to pay for mother language classes – in particular Bangla. We are in England and any publicly funded language programme should be for English (other than truly global languages taught at schools). I would go further and say on a national level we should scrap Bangla, Urdu and Punjabi GCSE options which are not global languages.
Eat your curry and chew on your paan (don’t spit), but keep the language of conducting public business in public forums English – fluent English not a broken Benglish hybrid. This is a failure of Lutfor Saheb and his administration.
The nasty Tory side in me says we should link new benefit claimant with English Language tests also, for both natives and new arrivals.
In 1971 Bangladesh fought its war of independence over the right to keep Bangla as the official language of the East Pakistan region. So Lutfor Saheb and his administration should understand the importance of language and its ability to unite people. I agree that that Lutfor Saheb is doing a lot for community cohesion in terms of trying to build bridges, but in the same vein he should acknowledge that language is a barrier to integration. Mainstreaming “mother tongue” classes and conducting business in Bengali is a massive own goal that is perpetuating the divisions in TH and fueling the paranoia of those who have legitimate concerns.
Newham council has severe housing shortage, instead of building homes, Sir Robin is sending families up north. TH has one of the biggest house building programmes London.
TH has been consistently out performing Newham in education and is now one of the most improving council in UK with its gcse results above national average. Newham is one of the worst performing council in education in UK. Sir Robin is putting English books in libraries but not giving the children in Newham the education to make use of them.
TH has renovated every secondary school in the borough through the building schools for future programme. How many schools has Sir Robin improved?
Sir Robin should get his priorities sorted concentrate on the failures of his council before lecturing others. If he needs advice on how to build houses or improve education or keep streets tidy he can always give Lutfur a call.
I’d rather have a mayor who was concentrating on giving my family a decent place to live, my children a decent education than one who was lecturing me I had to learn English.
Do you think it’s important to learn English, Imran?
With all due respect, Ted, that comment made some good valid points and nowhere in it could I glean the slightest inference imran didn’t think it important to learn English – so I don’t understand your reply.
Newham is not a high performing council. Wales has been leading the council for 18 years.
And nowhere did I imply he said it wasn’t important. The question was aimed at exploring where Imran placed it on the priority list because it seems to me he thinks housing and education should come first at the expense of English…that that is Tower Hamlets policy?
Given his pride in his degree in ‘Mathematistics’ from the London School thereof, I’d suggest that English most definitely is not Imran’s strong suit.
That’s ridiculous. ‘Housing and education at the expense of English’ isn’t TH policy.
All Asian kids in TH schools speak English with cockney accents.
How much did LBTH primary schools claim in EAL support in the fair funding formula last year?
these are Imran’s words, not mine:
“I’d rather have a mayor who was concentrating on giving my family a decent place to live, my children a decent education than one who was lecturing me I had to learn English.”
In Tower Hamlets, the older generations who emigrated to Britain often have broken English or heavy accents. The younger generations and kids speak perfect, unstilted English.
And it’s exactly the same in Robin Wales’s Newham. I’ve worked extensively there.
In fact, it’s the same practically anywhere.
I don’t quite get the point of all this…
I don’t think language is much of a problem for the Bengali community any more Ted. Might have been a barrier to ‘integration’ 20 years ago but most Bengalis of my generation and younger speak better English than Bengali. This is not to say its not an issue for other communities and we should stop all translation services. Serious politicians should not not make such sweeping statements.
My point was in terms of priority for the mayor of Newham or any other inner city mayor; housing, education, youth unemployment ought to be more important then a Bengali newspaper in a library. TH outperforms Newham in all of these indices and still finds the funds to have award winning libraries with multilingual literature and newspapers.
Day and night difference between Newham and TH in terms of how the council is managed and how engaged local people are in politics.
TH has a vibrant local political scene in which every man and his dog seems to have a view ont the colour of the mayor’s office toilet seat to how large organization receive funding. Same can’t be said about Mr Wales or Newham.
The fact is you can put a monkey up as a Labour candidate in Newham and the monkey would win. No opposition. Not sure I’d want to live in a dictatorship like that.
Muslim youths are the product of western education which makes a man stupid, selfish and corrupt. Muslim children need state funded Muslim schools with Muslim teachers as role models during their developmental periods. Culture and race is always a factor in a child’s life. To deny the importance of race and culture is not only insulting to Muslim children, it also risks causing unnecessary confusion and distress. Cultural Identity is particularly significant for a child. Little attention is paid to the child’ cultural background. There is a social and economic pressure on bilingual Muslim children that they must speak English, adopt British values and ditch their religious beliefs, to assimilate into this country rather than maintain their cultural traditions and historical ties. Speaking English does not promote integration into British society and broadens opportunities. The result of such a policy is that British schooling is guilty of producing Muslim youths who are angry, frustrated and extremist. Majority of them leave schools with low grades. The number of Muslim youths is on the increase in prisons. Anti-social behaviour and drug addiction is on the increase. They find themselves cut off from their cultural heritage and are unable to enjoy the beauty of their literature and poetry. Thanks to British schooling.
Living together requires quite simply, an acceptance of the others, of the way in which (the other) is dressed.
Bilingual Muslim children have been in state schools for the last 50 years. They have been suffering from Paki-bashing. They have been unable to develop their confidence and self-esteem due to racism and bullying. This is one of the main reason why they have been unable to achieve good grades. They have been suffering from Identity Crises. They do not know where they belong. Muslim school with bilingual Muslim teachers is only the answer.
Education report by Birmingham Advisory Service recommends that school lessons should take into account cultural differences in order to improve pupils’ performance. It calls for teaching “the need for mutual respect and understanding”. Minority pupils are underachieving at school because the curriculum is racist. The study found lessons often failed to motivate or interest pupils because curriculum did not provide enough positive role models. The curriculum needs to be more balanced and less Eurocentric. Pupils grow up thinking there is no other playwright than Shakespeare. An ethnicity “Tsar” should be appointed to reform British schooling. Muslim schools performed best overall, although they constitute only a fraction of the country’s 7000 schools. Muslim schools do well because of their Islamic ethos and a focus on traditional discipline and teaching methods. They teach children what is right and what is wrong, because young children need structural guidance. Muslim school is responsible for the development of the whole child. Muslim schools give Muslim children “pride, identity and a sense of culture and languages.
There are hundreds of state schools where Muslim children are in majority.
In my opinion, all such schools may be designated as Muslim community
schools with bilingual Muslim teachers as role models. There is no place for
a non-Muslim child or a teacher in a Muslim school.
IA
http://www.londonschoolofislamics
“I’d rather have a mayor who was concentrating on giving my family a decent place to live, my children a decent education than one who was lecturing me I had to learn English.”
I’d rather people were given the skills to integrate into the community and find gainful employment to thus provide for themselves and their family, in order that they are not a burden on the state and can have a shred of respect (ha ha!) for themselves. Sir Robin’s “resilience” programme is one of the most progressive bits of thinking in this area for a long while.
I find myself immediately suspicious of anyone who expects the state to comprehensively provide for them. Need somewhere for your family to live? Be a man and pay for a place yourself.
Or we could bunk up with you…..
The question is whether a community can bind together just because we deleted the Urdu off the back of a leaflet?
Some of us would like a bit more than that of a candidate for London mayor.
I think to be fair you’re being slightly disingenuous, Dan. Translation cuts was just one part of a package. Have you read that 2011 document on resilience?
Who would you like to see as mayor, other than you of course?
According to Lord Macaulay speech in the houses of Parliament on 2nd Feb 1835 “I have traveled across the length and breadth of India and I have not seen one person who is a beggar, who is a thief, such wealth I have seen in this country, such high moral values, people of such caliber that I don’t think we would ever conquer this country unless we break the very backbone of this nation which is her spiritual and cultural heritage and, therefore, I propose that we replace her old and ancient education system, her culture, for if the Indians think that all that is foreign and English is good and greater than their own, they will lose their self-esteem, their native culture and they will become what we want them, a truly dominated nation”.
British establishment still follows the same policy, making sure that Muslim children could not develop their self-confidence and self-esteem and lose their cultural, linguistic and Islamic Identities, crucial for mental, emotional and personality development.
Human being is a product of his culture, language and faith. There is a positive co-relation between language and culture. If Muslims become notoriously monolingual Brits than there is a likely hood that they will adopt English culture. They will still be the underdogs of the British society. In the past they were victim of Paki-bashing in all walks of life by the British society because majority of them were not well versed in local accents. Now Muslim youths born and educated by British education system are being victim of terrorism by British establishment. Thousands of them are being searched by Police in streets and many of them are behind the bar without any trial. A lot of Muslim youths are imprisoned by British courts on the slightest excuses. The number of Muslim prisoners is on the increase in British jails. When they come out of jail they will become real criminals and terrorists while British foreign minister has said that Muslims are law abiding and committed citizens.
Bilingual Muslim children need state funded Muslim schools with bilingual Muslim teachers as role models during their developmental periods. A bilingual teacher has the ability to teach bilingually and explain complex concepts to children who have limited understanding of English. Learning in their first language ‘raises their self-esteem, self-respect and strengthens their identities in western culture. It will help them to develop their cultural, linguistic and Islamic Identity, otherwise, they will be lost in Western Jungle. According to verities of studies, a child will suffer if he/she finds himself cut off from his/her cultural and linguistic roots. Arabic is our religious language and each and every Muslim must be well versed in Quranic Arabic. This the main reason why I believe that Pakistani parents must find marriage partners from Pakistan for their children. Pakistani children and youths suffer more than others because they find themselves cut off from the literature and poetry. Majority of them are not even well versed in Standard English. This is the main reason why majority of Pakistani children leave schools without good qualification. English is their economic language while Urdu is their social and emotional and Arabic is their religious language.
There is no place for a non-Muslim child or a teacher in a Muslim school. Muslim children will get a decent education. Muslim schools turned out balanced citizens, more tolerant of others and less likely to succumb to criminality or extremism. Muslim schools give young people confidence in who they are and an understanding of Islam’s teaching of tolerance and respect which prepares them for a positive and fulfilling role in society. Muslim schools are attractive to Muslim parents because they have better discipline and teaching Islamic values. Children like discipline, structure and boundaries. There are hundreds of state primary and secondary schools where Muslim pupils are in majority. In my opinion all such schools may be opted out to become Muslim Academies. Muslim schools give young people confidence in who they are and an understanding of Islam’s teaching of tolerance and respect which prepares them for a positive and fulfilling role in society. Muslim schools are attractive to Muslim parents because they have better discipline and teaching Islamic values. Children like discipline, structure and boundaries. Bilingual Muslim children need Bilingual Muslim teachers as role models during their developmental periods, who understand their needs and demands.
Bilingual Muslim children have been in state schools for the last 50 years. They have been suffering from Paki-bashing. They have been unable to develop their confidence and self-esteem due to racism and bullying. This is one of the main reason why they have been unable to achieve good grades. They have been suffering from Identity Crises. They do not know where they belong. Muslim school with bilingual Muslim teachers is only the answer.
IA
London School of Islamics Trust
http://www.londonschoolofislamics.org.uk
[…] « Sir Robin Wales takes aim at the race-ridden politics of Tower Hamlets […]
Can any child, from any nationality attend mother tongue classes?
It is the responsibility of local schools to make sure that migrant children not only learn and be well versed in English language but also learn and be well versed in their mother tongues. The problem is that majority of immigrant children leave schools without learning standard English and without leaning even ABC of their native mother tongues.
Speaking English does not promote integration into British, American and Australian societies, and broaden opportunities. English speaking Muslim youths are angry, frustrated and extremist, thanks to state schools with monolingual non-Muslim teachers and English language. English language is not only a lingua franca but also lingua frankensteinia. Human right are also covers linguistic right. Cultural and linguistic genocide are very common. British schooling is murdering community languages like Arabic, Urdu and others. English is today the world killer language. Linguistic genocide is a crime against humanity and British schooling is guilty of committing this crime. Language is not just a language. It defines one’s culture, identity and consciousness. It defines how we think, communicate and express ourselves. The fact is the most South Asian Muslims have come to know Islam by way of Urdu, the children’s alienation from the language that connects them the heritage of their parents and grandparents is disturbing. As a matter of fact, one has to get to know his mother tongue well if one is to master any other language.
We live in a shrunken world and millions of people are on the move; one of our biggest challenges is how we learn to live in proximity to difference – different skin colours, different beliefs and different way of life. According to a study by COMPAS, Muslims born and educated were given the impression of outsiders. The perception among Muslims is that they are unwelcome in Britain is undermining efforts to help them integrate into wider society. Most of them say that they have experienced race discrimination and religious prejudice. Muslims and Islam is promoted a fundamentalist and separatist by the western elite, which have negative impact on community and social cohesion. The number of racist incidents occurring in London Borough of Redbridge’s schools have reached their highest levels since record begin.
A report by the Institute for Community Cohesion found that native parents were deserting some schools after finding their children outnumbered by pupils from ethnic minorities. Schools in parts of England are becoming increasingly segregated. The study focused on 13 local authorities. Many of the schools and colleges are segregated and this was generally worsening over recent years. This is RACISM because British society is the home of institutional racism. My statement regarding Muslim schools where there is no place for non-Muslim child or a teacher is based on educational process and not on racism. Muslim children need Muslim teachers during their developmental periods. For higher studies and research, Muslim teacher is not a priority.
Cecilia Malmström, the European Commissioner for Home Affairs, said: “Successful integration implies that migrants are given the opportunity to participate fully in their new communities. Learning the language of the receiving country, getting access to employment and education and having the socio-economic capacity to support themselves are crucial elements for a successful integration. To date, integration of migrants in Europe has not been very successful. We must all do more – for the sake of the people coming here, but also since well-integrated migrants are an asset for the EU, as they enrich our societies culturally and economically.”
Who says that Europeans are civilised. They are the most savage people in the world. They are guilty of massacre during the time of Crusade in Jerusalem. They not only slaughtered Arab Muslims but also Arab Christians and Jews. They massacred American Indians in millions. They slaughtered Aborigines who welcomed them in the first place. British massacred millions of Indian Muslims after the War of Independence in 1857. Millions of their children were converted to Christianity by the Christian Missionaries.
Migrant Muslims are working for the economic prosperity of European countries. Without them their economy would bleed to death. According to UNISCO, nearly 75 million migrants would be needed in Europe in the next 50 years because of ageing population and low birth rate. Muslim population will increase because of migration, high birth rate and reversion to Islam by well educated Europeans.
IA
http://www.londonschoolofislamics.org.Uk
Yes I’m sure they can. Or you should take them to court for discrimination.
For Sir Robin, who has ruled Newham since 1995—at the last election in 2010, his party won all 60 council seats–the policies are the results of years of research that is now being fed into Labour’s policy machine.
He believes immigration is good for the country, but unless it is managed well, the impact on local communities can be negative.
Libraries are there for the whole community, and should cater for the broad range of local groups, in recognition of their global and mother country interests that will continue to exist, including a rich variety of languages, sustaining a valuable coexistence of dual heritage over the generations.
Many people who read the newspapers are in fact multilingual already, including English. The idea that removing community language content from our libraries will somehow provide additional motivation for younger people to learn English to access the job market is simply wrong-headed. It fails to understand the contribution that literacy in mother tongue makes to the successful acquisition of skills in another language, which has been clearly demonstrated in academic research. Libraries are there to cater for all the borough’s cultures, and help people to access education in the broadest sense.
All Community Papers are bilingual both in English and Urdu. Even Asian English only papers were removed. This clearly shows that Council does not want to know the needs and demands of the Asian community. Bilingualism is an asset but it considers it a problem. One of my friends told me that two months ago, he requested the Forest Gate Librarian that he is ready to pay for two English/Urdu papers. But the librarian refused to accept his offer. There used to be weekly free papers in English/Urdu but since then library does not display such papers. It shows that the Council has hatred against Asian languages as well as Asians who pay council tax to meet the expenses of the Council. The council must learn to respect and tolerate those who are different. People like you could force the Newham Council to tolerate and respect those who are different. The Council hates our languages and tries to get rid of them but it can’t change the colour of our skin. In my opinion, the action of the Newham Council is similar to the terrorist action of a Norwegian who slaughtered lot of innocent civilians. In my opinion, Newham is an institutionally racist Council. Majority of Asian live in Newham but only minority of councillors are Asians. Tomorrow the Council will tell Muslims and others to close down their Masajid and places of worship or it can order them to use English instead of Arabic or other languages. Where is it going to end?
This shows that for Muslim community both English and Urdu languages are important. All these papers are concerned with local news, news from the sub-continent and international news. These papers help migrant community to keep in touch with their cultural roots, local news and information and enjoy the beauty of their literature and poetry. Those who are unable to visit libraries buy these community papers or use internet at home. The English sections of such papers will help even non-Urdu readers to learn community culture and way of life. I do not think that officials of the Newham Authority have ever cared to find out that all community papers are in English and Urdu.
As far As English language is concerned, nobody is denying its value and focus should be on helping people learning English. Migrant community believes that an English language skill is key to ensuring equal access to services, opportunities and personal independence. The economic and social survival of bilingual Muslim community depends on English language but not at the cost of its mother tongue. It is a crime against humanity to deprive a community from its native tongue and cultural heritage. Muslim community is bilingual and does not believe in becoming monolingual Brits.
Bilingualism is an asset and not a problem. DFE is spending millions so that young generation could learn a foreign language, including Arabic and Urdu. The survival of British Muslim community depends on learning English, Arabic, Urdu and other community languages for their economic, social, emotional and spiritual prosperity. The council has stopped community papers not for reducing spending but to force Muslims to read only English papers. Tomorrow, the council will stop teaching foreign languages in schools. It will also force Mosques and Imams to read Quran and perform all prayers in English, instead of Arabic. The stupid British politicians have already asked migrant families to use English at home with their children.
I’m not sure how learning English will help stop extremism either, many of those who have carried out/plotted atrocities have been highly educated. Speaking English does not promote integration into British society, and broaden opportunities. English speaking Muslims still face discrimination in jobs, education and housing. English speaking Muslim youths are angry, frustrated and extremist, thanks to English language. English language is not only a lingua franca but also lingua frankensteinia. Human right also covers linguistic right. Cultural and linguistic genocide are very common. British schooling is murdering community languages like Arabic, Urdu and others. English is today the world killer language. Linguistic genocide is a crime against humanity and British schooling is guilty of committing this crime.
As a constituent I would like to know:
· How this decision was made by Newham Council?
· Was there a democratic vote by the Council as whole
· Was it a Cabinet decision, or was it solely the Mayor’s decision?
· Was it agreed as an individual motion, or passed as part of a package of items on the Council agenda?
· Was there any opportunity for Councillors generally to debate the proposal or comment, or did the Mayor use his direct executive powers?
· Why was the decision made without any apparent attempt to consult directly-affected community groups?
· Have you or any other Councillors who represent many sections of our diverse population spoken out, or opposed this measure?
· If you have not, could you please explain why this is?
In my view, which is shared by many hundreds in Newham, this measure reflects very poorly on Newham Council and its elected members. It will serve to further alienate elected representatives from the people who have voted for them and whom they are meant to represent and connect with.
I do not think it is the role of the elected Mayor of Newham, to censor the content of our libraries, or prescribe what languages people should be reading, on the dubious grounds that it will support integration, encourage ‘Brutishness’ & improve access to the jobs market by encouraging the use of English.
I hope, after reflection upon this misguided and ill-considered policy, you will feel able to support the Campaign to overturn this decision and re-instate the newspapers and periodicals in the libraries.
I shall be grateful to you if you please reconsider my complaint for the sake of humanity and for the sake community cohesion and for better race relation between the communities. It is in your hand what kind of society you want to see in Newham.
IA
London School of Islamics Trust
http://www.londonschoolofislamics.org.uk
I think the “promoting” of the english language is a big issue myself and long overdue. I’ve bangladeshi friends whose use and limited english diction DOES limit their ability to get work. As I said before I’d like to see the costs of the translation services published. When do you think it matters Dan/OldFord? When it amounts to £500,000 or 1,2,10 million or would you prefer to count the homes that could be built using it?
This idea that the bangladeshi community came here in the early 70s without decent spoken/written english, and have offspring who all speak english wonderfully is a gross oversimplification as a visit to any primary school will show. It ignores the many foreign brides/(not so many husbands) who come here without knowing any english and live cocooned in the house watching Channel S and only go out to collect the kids from school or go shopping.
POVERTY: The bangladeshi culture of women staying at home to raise the kids traps them in poverty and having to rely on housing benefit top ups. Meanwhile in the rest of the UK both parents work and somehow manage to bring their kids up (oh and pay two lots of taxes).
That’s a very out of date stereotype you hold there JohnJee. It is not Bangladeshi culture. The generation that grew up and mostly married abroad are in their 40s; it’s not something that you’ll find common place amongst younger of UK Bangladeshis.
Those imported spouses, who were baby making machines that drew in welfare payments, in the extreme example you have described, are themselves victims and shouldn’t be treated as anything otherwise.
The only way things will change is through education and giving young people a passport out of poverty and you can’t fault Lutfor Saheb and his administration in this regard.
If you’re looking for blame then look no further than successive Tory and Labour governments.
Dare I mention another stereotype: having a wife in the UK and one in Bangladesh? or Having “land” in Bangladesh and a council home here?
Sounds like you’ve been reading Brick Lane.
No I haven’t read it – saw the movie
Wales’ regime isn’t all that he claims it is. I’ll be shameless and plug my blog
http://newhamnettles.blogspot.co.uk
so you can get a different perspective on Wales administration.
The translation of documents into Bengali is a waste of money because many of the Bangladeshi people cannot read Bengali, certainly not to the level written in leaflets. Mother tongue classes are fine as long as the parents pay for them, just like my parents did for us. I would suggest it is very possible to get by without translation services as most people have family members that speak English, besides learning a language has been proven to be possible with determination and input so in my books this is a self inflicted disability. No excuse is acceptable either “my mother in law/husband stopped me, too old for this” the reason being many others in that position succeeded. With regards to GCSE Bengali or other languages I would encourage it because this could be an easy A for many and valued by employers and who knows what the future holds? perhaps Asian languages will be in demand. Also learning a second language is proven to enhance intellectual ability as well as making it easier to learn another language, Bengali speakers learn Urdu and Hindi very easily. The main thing is invest in your kids and self, human capital is always good, leave the tax money to be spent on more urgent things.
Well said.
There is no way public money should be spent on mother tongue classes.
Agreed with everything you say Shumi (Ted checks our IP addresses to see if I have a split personality)
LMAO at threatening to remove university level bengali translations from many illiterate Bengali people (mostly women who need it most). No one cares except the translator who will lose their job. No one listens to me when I bring it up, they think they are being ‘helpful’. Take an average translated leaflet and survey a section of the Bangladeshi community to see who understands what’s written. significant section won’t have a clue what’s written.
This is SO true
Interesting conversation in the end.
You’ve gotta admire the way good ol’ Ted refuses to even acknowledge the mountain of evidence stacked against his hero, Supreme Leader Robin Wales. It seems all this great leader must ensure is that he pummels ethnic minority groups into submission (or alienation, which is what I see in Newham) and put a stop to any dynamic movement of their’s towards holding positions of influence, and the job is complete. Never mind the fact that nearly 20 years of rule has improved zilch in the borough in the way of education, crime, housing etc. All of that is minutia for ‘journalists’ (LOL) like Ted… mere facts that hinder a good story against that bane around all of our collective right wing necks.
Where is Sheraz these days?
I’m keeping any eye on things don’t worry Ted.
Is that your round about way of asking for my input?
Ted, do you sit and analyze every comment? Who, why, where, style of writing, ip address, linking possible alias nemes. It appears you are more interested in the person than the comment
If the residents of Tower Hamlets don’t like their Mayor, then please take ours!!! We don’t want Sir Robin Wales.
Sir Robin Wales has been able to fool people who don’t know about him. I suggest they come to Newham to East Ham, Forest Gate, Manor Park, Upton Park, Little Ilford etc.. and ask themselves if this is a ‘place to choose to live, work and stay’ (which happens to be Newham’s slogan).
After 20 years in power what has Sir Robin Wales delivered?. What has 60 years of Labour in Newham delivered?. Newham is one of the most deprived Boroughs in the country.
For the benefit of those who don’t know Sir Robin Wales, he will make all sort of claims about how he has done this for the Borough or done that… but the reality is often different. There are no opposition parties to challenge his claims.