Multiculturalism

Does it agree with strict controls on immigration and a focus on laws dedicated to the prosperity of the UK and our native culture?

Are we in agreement that the prevalence of entire secluded communities that rarely integrate or learn the language are wholly unacceptable?

Is it accepted that civil disobedience can never be justified as seen in Oldham and Bradford, and that those who preach hatred and falsely claim to be oppressed or neglected in our country should not be tolerated?

Are we united in our condemnation of those British schools now avoiding teaching subjects such as the Holocaust and the Crusades to avoid offending Muslim pupils and fuelling anti- Semitism?

Does multiculturalism conflict with the reasonable requirement that those applying for British citizenship be able to demonstrate a knowledge and an integration of British culture?

I am confused also on the origins of the word multiculturalism and would have thought that we have been multicultural from our days of Empire. Is this not fact?

Des More, Darlington.

CORRESPONDENT Ralph Musgrave makes a number of valid points about multiculturalism (HAS, June 14), but fails to realise that the British Isles has always been a multicultural society.

The culture of the British Isles, be it England, Ireland, Scotland or Wales, is a composite of differing cultural influences, including the Norman, Viking, Anglo-Saxon, Roman, Celtic and the pre-Celtic.

Multiculturalism has existed and worked within the British Isles for thousands of years, but only because the incoming immigrant population was willing to adopt and adapt to the culture of their new land, allowing them to be accepted while keeping their own cultural identity.

Examples found within Irish mythology show that when an incoming group won't integrate, then conflicts occur, forcing either that migrant group to leave, or causing the creation of separatist states, which only lead to further conflicts.

True multiculturalism is the willingness to integrate while keeping your own cultural heritage.

But what is passing for multiculturalism is separatism and it's destroying society and this land.

CT Riley, Spennymoor, Co Durham.

RALPH Musgrave (HAS, June 14) completely misunderstands my point of view. I acknowledge legitimate concerns about integration and the pace of immigration, which must be addressed.

Nevertheless, I hope that my children and grandchildren will grow up in the country I know and love - a country with great cosmopolitan cities, a country which welcomes people of all cultures, religions and ethnicities, and yet, by and large, remains united.

In other words, I hope they will inherit a multicultural society. This has nothing to do with "long-winded multi-syllabic jargon" or "political correctness".

Its meaning is exactly as I defined it in my earlier letter (HAS, May 31).

An Islamic state, by definition, cannot be multicultural. Why would I want to live in one, or be instrumental in creating one for my descendants?

I strongly believe in secular government, and would resist attempts by any religious group (Christians included) to dominate our legislature. The suggestion that Britain's 1.6 million Muslims (less than three per cent of the population) present any such threat is, frankly, laughable.

Pete Winstanley, Durham.