.... Recent events in Paris and Belgium serve to highlight that we can no longer see this as a distant conflict in a region far removed from our everyday lives: it is a war that is not only on our doorstep but that has become interwoven with the fabric of our way of life.
This presents us with challenges not only in foreign policy, but with questions that arise immediately close to home and require an answer.
At the root of problem we face is the notion of ‘multiculturalism’. This idea has guided so much of our policy in recent decades – and it is quite simply the wrong approach. The idea of having communities that identify on the basis of race, colour or religious faith living side-by-side, yet never properly integrating with each other, is a recipe for discord.
It creates conditions where a distorted world view – a world view that allows for murder in the name of God and one that is repugnant to true believers from all faiths – may find an ideal breeding ground. [ConservativeHome] Read more
