denny Ethnic & National book

On Thursday 8th September, Chief Rabbi Lord Sacks spoke in a debate in the House of Lords on improving interfaith dialogue in multicultural Britain. "My Lords, I thank the noble Lord, Lord Mitchell, for initiating this important and necessary debate. I go back to words said by an expert on the subject 2600 years ago. His name was Jeremiah and he became known as a prophet of gloom. Were he to return to life today, doubtless he would be an economist. He was the first person to analyse the situation many find themselves in today of being a minority in a culture whose beliefs are not their own. Jeremiah wrote a letter to the Jewish exiles in Babylon in which he said: "Seek the welfare of the city to which you have gone and pray to God on its behalf, for in its peace and prosperity you will find peace and prosperity". He told them in effect: "Maintain your identity while contributing to the common good. Be true to your faith while being a blessing to others regardless of their faith". That is the challenge today. The good news about religion is that it creates communities based on altruism and trust. It teaches people to make sacrifices for the sake of others. It builds social capital. The bad news is that every community divides as it unites, because for every "us" there is a "them"-the people not like us. The best way to improve interfaith dialogue in multicultural Britain is to create a sense of national identity so strong that it brings different ethnic and religious ...