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Jews fear their faith 'is seen unfavourably' because of anti-extremism drive
'Jews feel... they have been caught between the fight against extremism and the secularisation it has promoted'
June 5, 2018 08:04
'Jews feel... they have been caught between the fight against extremism and the secularisation it has promoted'
June 5, 2018 08:04The government’s drive to promote "shared British values" has led some Jews to think their “religious practice and traditional views are seen unfavourably”, the Jewish Leadership Council has claimed.
In their response to the government’s Integrated Communities Strategy Green Paper, which is intended to tackle extremism, the JLC said: “Jews feel as if they have been caught between the fight against extremism and the secularisation it has promoted".
Its report, published on Monday, adds: “This is far from ideal and we feel much work is needed to address this.”
The JLC said it was also concerned about the government’s suggestion that "British values" should be promoted to tackle extremism.
The JLC report adds: “Rightly or wrongly, for many the term has negative connotations. Many instinctively know what is meant by it, but for many, it is a hostile term.
"Promoting why it is something which defends everyone is crucial to detoxifying the term.”
The JLC supported the Green Paper’s assertion that “integration is not assimilation”.
It said the Jewish community “is a successful case study of how you can feel confident and proud of your identity while recognising and valuing your relationship with, and responsibility to other groups and to wider society.”
The report added: “Loyalty to the state is not contradictory to adhering to the Jewish faith.”
The JLC's report highlights the work of World Jewish Relief, who have run programmes to integrate Syrian refugees through work placements.
It also highlights the work of CST on hate crime monitoring and reporting and the work of Lead, which promotes leadership development across all Jewish communal denominations.
The government’s Integrated Communities Strategy Green Paper was released in March 2018 in response to the Casey Review, which looked into "opportunity and integration".
At its launch, Theresa May said the government’s vision was for “building strong integrated communities where people live, work, learn and socialise together, based on shared rights, responsibilities and opportunities”.
Claudia Mendoza, the JLC’s director of policy and public affairs, said: “Integration is one of the biggest social problems of our time.
"The Jewish community is often a primary target of the threats coming from those who are not well integrated so we have an interest in helping the government get this strategy right.
“The government has made it clear that religious freedom is paramount and we welcome that. We have compiled this submission to ensure that the balance between genuine integration and acceptance of individuality is got right and we have made ourselves available for further consultation”.
