Fly the flag: Shahid Malik says many Muslim cricket fans are happy to support England
Posted on 12/27/2007 10:59:39 PM PST by Stoat
Muslims living in England should be proud to support the national cricket team and should celebrate the country they belong to, Britain's first Muslim Minister said last night.
Shahid Malik issued a call to the Islamic community to embrace, not reject, Englishness as part of their identity.
The International Development Minister said he did not endorse the "cricket test" proposed by former Tory Cabinet Minister Norman Tebbit. But he said he and many of his Muslim friends were enthusiastic fans of England's football and cricket teams.
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Fly the flag: Shahid Malik says many Muslim cricket fans are happy to support England
Muslims living in Britain enjoyed greater freedoms than anywhere in the Islamic world, the MP added.
He said it was "hardly surprising" that extremists did not accept Muslims as English if those minorities did not see themselves in that way.
Mr Malik said: "My message to young Muslims is 'Be proud to be English and don't let anyone steal your identity away. This is one of the greatest nations in the world and we should be proud to live here - let's shout about it a bit more'."
The Labour MP's comments will reignite the debate about what it means to be British, which has been spearheaded by Gordon Brown.
Lord Tebbit once claimed that the true test of an immigrant's loyalty was whether he would support England in a cricket match against his country of origin.
Mr Malik's family roots are in Pakistan, but he was born in Burnley, Lancashire, and he supports England's cricketers against Pakistan. He said: "I find quite a lot of Muslims who are now very enthusiastic supporters of the English football team.
"But supporting a team is not the true test of being English. It's about the country you consider your home, the place where you will raise your kids.
"I'm very proud to support the England football and cricket teams but I don't believe that is the defining element of your national identity."
Mr Malik said in his youth he backed "anyone but England" at sport "because I had a notion of Englishness coloured by what the BNP said".
It was when he visited Scotland and met Asians who wore the kilt and were proud to be Scottish that he embraced Englishness.
He said: "It was a liberating experience - I realised I could be proud to be English."
The MP now holds St George's Day coffee mornings in his constituency to bring together people from all minorities to celebrate a shared English identity.
"Englishness encompasses anyone who has an allegiance to this country, pays their taxes here, considers this their home. If you do these things, you are English," he said.
Mr Malik, who is getting married in the New Year, became the first Muslim member of the Government when he was appointed International Development Minister by Gordon Brown in July.
A former member of the Commission for Racial Equality, he has advised the Government on community issues. One of the four 7/7 suicide bombers was from his Dewsbury constituency.
Mr Malik added last night: "The rights and freedoms we enjoy in England and the UK are better than any other country in the world for Muslims, better than any country in the Islamic world."
The Minister warned it was up to British Muslims to stand up for democracy. "With these freedoms come responsibilities and we all need to speak out more if we see something that is not right, whether it's Islamic extremists or the BNP," he said.
Although it's terribly sad that conditions are such that he would need to even say such a thing, good on him for doing so.
Non-muslims who say such things are typically branded 'racists'.
Hopefully he can make it through his term without being made the focus of a fatwa for daring to say it......
He’s got the right idea.
Agreed. Just as it requires someone who looks like Bill Cosby to be able to speak the truth about racial issues in America without being tarred and feathered in the village square, so it also takes someone like this to be able to say certain things about muslims. Hopefully he will remain strong and continue on this path despite the inevitable flak that he will receive, and hopefully he will inspire others to follow his lead.
Cricket ping
If they can be persuaded to rally ‘round a sporting event, perhaps they can be persuaded to rally around a nation as well.
Wishful thinking, I know. :-)
last i checked, the UK is not part of the islamic world, nor should it ever be....i dont care what anybody says about islam..i will never trust a religion that killed 3,000+ people on 9-11
period.
Agreed. I’m just one who appreciates small bits of progress, even if they’re only a few words uttered by a politician.
Only time will tell whether it will make any difference.
In the meantime, keep your powder dry :-)
Ok, they’ll support the team now. Doesn’t mean they won’t vote for Sharia later. Once they are in a majority.
This is a feel-good story meant to lull our doubts about what an increasing Muslim population means to a western society.
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