Britain could recast minorities

2005-08-08 15:30

London - Britain's deputy interior minister proposed in a newspaper interview on Monday that racial minorities be recast in a bid to help their integration following last month's bomb attacks on London.

In an interview with the Times, Hazel Blears said in meetings with Muslims over the coming weeks she would ask whether they would rather be called "British-Asian" or "Indian-British" rather than simply Muslim or Asian.

"If you want a society that is really welded together, there are certain things that unite us because we are British, but you can be a bit different too, she said.

"In America, they do seem to have the idea that you're an Italian-American or you're an Irish-American, and that's quite interesting."

"It's about your identity and I think it's really important.

"I am going to talk to people and ask how does that feel?"

Blears was recently named to head a government commission on integrating minorities, as the government grapples with the issue of integration after it emerged that the bomb attacks on London were carried out by young immigrants brought up in Britain.

Blears last week launched talks with religious and community leaders, which are expected to lead to proposals in September to bring minorities closer to British society.

Some 1.6 million Muslims live in Britain, mainly from Pakistan and Bangladesh.

- AFP