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Analysis

Conservative Muslims, Liberal Britain

Analysis

BBC

News, Politics

4.61K Ratings

🗓️ 10 November 2014

⏱️ 29 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

The recent so called Trojan Horse dispute in some Birmingham schools shone a light on how separately from the liberal British mainstream a significant conservative bloc of British Muslims wants to live. Although some Muslim parents objected, most seemed happy to go along with rigorous gender segregation, the rejection of sex education and ban on music and arts lessons. Why is it that so many British Muslims - especially from Pakistani and Bangladeshi backgrounds - seem to be converging much more slowly, if at all, on liberal British norms? Is this a problem in a liberal society and what are the future trends likely to be? David Goodhart, of the think tank Demos, visits Leicester in search of some answers. He listens to many different Muslim voices from a mufti who advises Muslims on how to navigate everyday life in a non-Muslim society to a liberal reformer who is dismayed at seeing more women wearing the niqab.

East is East (extract with Jane Horrocks and Ayub Khan) is playing at the Trafalgar Studios, London until 3rd January, and then on tour.

Contributors: Mustafa Malik, Director of the Pakistan Youth and Community Centre, Leicester Saj Khan, Leicestershire businessman Mufti Muhammed Ibn Adam, Islamic scholar, Leicester Riaz Ravat, Deputy Director, St Philip's Centre, Leicester Dilwar and Rabiha Hussain, New Horizons organisation, Leicester Gina Khan, human rights campaigner Myriam Francois-Cerrah, journalist and PhD researcher Jytte Klausen, affiliate professor at the Center for European Studies at Harvard University Producer Katy Hickman.

Transcript

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0:36.2

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0:39.2

In this edition David Goodhart visits Leicester to ask whether there is a continuing

0:43.7

gulf between the values of liberal Britain and communities of socially

0:48.0

conservative Muslims.

0:50.3

Pakistani believe if father asked son do something sons follow father

0:54.8

instructions and is here follow bloody pansy hairdresser instructions but I tell you

0:59.7

this no happen again a stage version of the film East is now playing in London.

1:04.3

I should have said all bloody kids, the Pakistan went young.

1:07.3

Other wife teach them bloody respect.

1:09.4

Over my dead body you would have done.

1:11.3

Your bloody son, bloody mad. Your daughter walking around in

1:14.7

short skirt like bloody prostitute?

1:16.7

He's a school uniform.

1:18.7

Written and performed here by Ayeug Khan, East is a bittersweet tale of the Gulf between the values of the traditional

1:24.7

Pakistani Muslim Patriarch and is often rebellious children. We can laugh at the

1:29.6

cultural Gulf in the apparent knowledge that the next generation has slotted more easily into liberal

...

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