Multiculturalisn

Kavvie alerted me to a couple of articles in the Malaysian newspaper The Star: " Multiculturalism – how can it be wrong?" by NG KAM WENG Research Director (Kairos Research Centre) 25th August and "Debunking multiculturalism" by MD ASLAM AHMAD,Fellow (Centre for Syariah, Law and Political Science, Insitute of Islamic Understanding Malaysia) 22nd Aug.

compare this to BBC's So what exactly is multiculturalism?

I am trying to unravel this in my own head - from looking at it in the Malaysian perspective where Muslims are in the majority and in the UK where Muslims are in the minotiry. Is there/ should there be a difference..is it only between the Muslims and the non Muslims? I suppose in todays troubled climate...its that which comes into people's mind.

In Malaysia, I cannot help but remember the race riots May13 1969  I was 11 at the time and have a few memories of that period - being told not to put my head out of the window or risk being shot and the curfews. However, that is when multiculturalism fail, isn't it? When we cease to respects each others differences.

In the UK, there are now talks of integration and resistance towards that...as a Chinese, I refute being totally integrated into any other culture but would fight to maintain the integrity of my own roots - whatever they might be. I would respect that for anybody's needs...their sense of identity, and yet against the ghetto mentality - in what ever form that might be. I would not want to be segregated and live in a dormitory or an area specially designated for people with disabilities - would I mind being in an all Chinese neighbourhood? or an all white area? I suspect I would, I really prefer to have diversity.

I am not sure where I stand on this issue philiosophically or even politically.