On the one hand, we must maintain a robust stance against those who would subvert our values and harm our citizens. On the other hand, we must reach out to communities, and especially Muslim communities, across the country, and work with them to maintain their faith and values while being integrated members of the wider community.
This must include tackling the inequalities and prejudice that many British Muslims are facing. The Jewish experience suggests that integration is a “two-way street” that requires effort on the part of both the majority community to be welcoming as well as the minority community adapting to key norms and values of the majority community.
For this reason, we prioritise interfaith and education work, and are particularly proud that we incubated and launched Nisa-Nashim, a Muslim-Jewish project promoting female leadership and active citizenship.
The Casey Review touches on cases where religious conservatism can lead to isolation or inequality. When considering this issue, it is important to note that religious conservatism and extremism are not always synonymous, and that conservative religious practices do not in themselves lead to violence, hatred or subversion of British values.
On the other hand, we should not condone those practices that cross the line. For example, when one school attempted to ban children from their school if their mothers drove, the Board of Deputies was clear that such practices are not normative or acceptable to the vast majority of our community. We would commend this clarity and consistency of approach to other faith and ethnic communities as well.
Overall, we have welcomed the fact that the Casey Review highlights some recommendations that we have been making separately for some years, namely that government needs to devise a clear and coherent strategy for community cohesion, backed up by targeted funding, to support the secure, integrated and inclusive society that will benefit all of our British society. Such efforts cannot be mere lip service at times of increased tension. They must be proactive, consistent and pre-emptive.
Ultimately, building a cohesive society may require government support but is the responsibility of us all.
Gillian Merron is chief executive of the Board of Deputies