There has been so much written and said (here as well as in Britain) about 'multiculturalism' since the bombings on July 7. Some people claim that excessive multiculturalism is to blame for the fact that the suicide bombers were actually born and raised in Britain.
The problem I've had with this discussion is that the term 'multiculturalism' doesn't mean much to me. Does multiculturalism include Chinatown or Little Italy or other ethnic neighborhoods in large cities?
When I first came to Ireland, I couldn't imagine a more homogeneous society, yet even here it was obvious that there was more than one culture. There was a middle class culture an urban working class culture and a rural farming culture (rugby, soccer, GAA). Does that mean Ireland was multicultural even then?
In the United States you have cities like New York in which every culture on Earth is seemingly represented and then there are large areas of America where there's a great sameness of life regardless of region or creed and even color (getting more so everyday). Even those who worry about the growing minority of Spanish speakers in the country would probably admit that the US doesn't have the same worries as Europe does with its growing population of disaffected Muslims.
Ultimately, what's important is some common understanding of what makes the nation. Today's Daily Telegraph takes a stab at defining what it means to be British. I'm not British nor do I live in Britain, so I can't really evaluate whether this is sufficient or insufficient or appropriate or inappropriate, but I think it's a good idea for British people to come to some basic understanding of what it means to be British in the 21st century.
The reason this is so important is because immigrants have to know what's expected of them. Too often these days we have talking heads on the radio demanding tolerance for immigrants from the native population. For the most part that's fair enough, however I see no reason why society should balk at telling immigrants that these are our 'core values' our 'rules'. The Telegraph's 'Ten Core Values' is a good start.
