You are in:
- Contents » Liberty
Respecting British Culture
Defending Britain's tolerant Christian tradition can be a thankless task. Newspapers rarely publish positive stories about Christianity and reporting the latest events can quickly become a weary recital of a litany of wrongs against these islands' traditions.
We tip our hats, then, to Daniel Finkelstein who, in The Times, makes a moving, powerful and case for Britain's continued attachment to Christian traditions. It's easy to be prickly and dismiss the demands of some Muslims for a call to prayer in Oxford for no other reason than that it is aggressive and alien: Finkelstein argues, however, that understanding how Britain is a nation of church bells and steeples, not muezzins and minarets, is crucial to its quiet tolerance of other faiths.
"Immigrants and their children in this country receive a fantastic deal. We are able to practise our religion in peace. We can openly enjoy our culture. Our colleagues tolerate our taking vacations on holy days and they even let their children be taught about some of our practices, which is most courteous, I must say.
"In return I think it reasonable for us to show respect for the majority religion and for the established religious institutions. We could, after all, live somewhere else. We came here on purpose. And here we have a right to practise, but not to dominate the public space. We have the right to pray, but not to blare out our prayer across Cowley.
"Let's say that the call to prayer, the sound of the muezzin from the minaret, is the most precious sound to you. You do not have to live in East Oxford. There are any number of mosques all over the world, loudspeakering away to their hearts' content (...)
"Here, however, they have church bells (...)
"Why should the mild, gentle culture of the Anglicans not deserve the same preservation and respect as any other ancient culture? I regard the Jewish tradition as something I hold in trust for my children. What of the culture and sights and sounds of this country and its heritage?
"I'm not calling for a retreat from the tolerance and mutual respect of this country. That's the last thing I want. I depend on it, don't I?
"It's just that I don't think tolerance and mutual respect come from nowhere. There's a reason why this country shows it, why we have fought for it, and died for it. I am just saying that if this country doesn't protect its own heritage and culture, how can I expect it to protect mine?"
