Cohesion to start in schools says MP

SCHOOLS need to build links between Muslim and Jewish communities to stop a rise in Islamaphobic and anti-Semitic feelings.

Speaking at a Labour Party Conference fringe meeting called to discuss the effects of the Middle Eastern conflict on British communities, Stephen Twig, of the Foreign Policy Centre and a former Enfield MP, said: “It’s a big challenge but we need to start breaking barriers at schools and build better community cohesion.”

Sadiq Khan, Tooting MP and a representative of the Muslim Council of  Britain, and David Fox, director of Labour Friends of Israel, discussed how communities can go forward in the backdrop of conflicts in the Middle East.

Both agreed that Middle Eastern conflicts had a negative impact on both the Jewish and Muslim communities with feelings of anti-Semitism and Islamaphobia growing largely due to negative reporting by the media.

Mr Fox said: “It is undeniable that there has been a negative impact in our communities with tension existing between both Muslim and Jewish faiths, but at the same time both communities suffer from similar problems. “It is important to work together to resolve any issues. Where Muslims and
Jewish communities have united in the UK, they have made more of an impact
to get their voices heard and this is the way forward.”

Mr Khan added: “In Muslim communities, the war in Iraq was taken more personally as Muslim Iraqis were killed, it was seen as an act of betrayal. “The Government needs to harness our passion and engage with it.

Citizens who are confident enough to voice criticism and demonstrate against a policy of their Parliament are more active and engaged than those who, lack confidence to do so. We should be encouraging this rather than holding up accusatory fingers at our fellow citizens who are Muslims who do so. “It does not mean government policy is dictated by demonstrations or even that minority communities are able to flex their muscles as they do in the
US. It does mean that there is a necessity to engage.”

Calls were also made at the meeting to educate youngsters about world current events at school in order to build bridges between different communities and faiths.

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