Integration as Part of the Security Agenda The discussion again acknowledged that integration has become part of the security policy for many governments worldwide. Mr. Malik remarked that there is a feeling that the Muslim community only became important in terms of social policy once this community became a threat to others, just as race relations became a subject of interest after the 1981 riots in Brixton. Mr. Malik added that religious practice is not a discretionary issue, but a security issue that is driving the whole agenda. The vast majority of initiatives aimed at Muslim communities today fall within security and counterterrorism measures; even the U.K. project called the “Radical Middle Way” belongs to this category. Sophie Body-Gendrot, director, Center for Urban Studies, the Sorbonne (France), noted that it was unfair to mention only the riots in Brixton and not mention what had happened after 2001, when British nationalist parties started inciting trouble. Roger Hardy, Middle East and Islamic affairs analyst of the BBC World Service (United Kingdom), cautioned against associating security and integration, even though he recognized that there is a link between them. Merging them leads to the politics of fear, he warned. Furthermore,
like the cold war, the war on terror threatens to become a distorting lens through which we view the world.
Difficulties Faced by Religious Leaders Cooperating with Governments Abdul Wahid Pedersen, foreign relations manager, Muslim Council of Denmark, raised the issue that religious leaders might face difficulties with their communities if they choose to cooperate with government security services. He noted that the imams in Denmark, who for several years met with the security services, and with good results, were put in a vulnerable position. They have been accused by their own people of being traitors. It is a very delicate balance to strike between cooperation and loyalty to one’s community of believers. Mr. Beardsworth agreed and noted that transparency of the interaction between religious leaders and the government could help alleviate fears.
Definition of “Common Values” The subsequent discussion focused on how to define common values. Mr. Siddiqui pointed out that nobody asks for definitions of Western common values. What are “British values”? For instance, “national belonging” should be defined by living within the geographical boundaries of the country and obeying
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