Author: Raju Patel (raj6446@aol.com)
Publication: Hindu Voice
Date:
URL: http://www.hinduvoice.co.uk/Issues/1/Tebbit-Test.htm
It was back in 1990 when former Conservative
chairman Lord Tebbit proposed the "Cricket Team Test", also known
as the "Tebbit Test." According to Lord Tebbit, ethnic minorities
should support British teams over those of their country of origin. If they
did not, this would pose a problem to British society. His comments were recalled
time and time again when it was observed that the vast majority of immigrants
from other countries, of which India and Pakistan were the foremost, strongly
supported the cricket team of their country of origin over England. Furthermore
was the fact that even the vast majority of British-born Indians and Pakistanis
passionately supported their country of origin.
With the recent terrorist attacks in London,
and the ongoing debate over immigration and asylum, Tebbit has once again
re-affirmed his views and has claimed that if his comments in 1990 had been
acted upon then the terrorist attacks in July may have been prevented. The
question that we must consider is what relevance or reality do Lord Tebbit's
comments have? Is Tebbit right in claiming that if his views were taken more
seriously it may have prevented the 7/7 terrorist attacks?
Tebbit's views may seem to hold some logic
at first, but with a little reflection it can be easily seen that using the
"Cricket Team Test" as an indication of whether a community will
integrate is a poor idea. His comment that "had his message been heeded
it might have stopped the London bombings" is almost laughable. Such
ideas serve as red-herrings that prevent our society from genuinely being
able to understand the causes of terrorism and how to prevent it. Tebbit also
attacked multiculturalism, blaming it for "undermining British society".
In his interview he said: "If you have two cultures in one society then
you have two societies. If you have two societies in the same place then you
are going to have problems, like the kind we saw on July 7, sooner or later."
The Hindu community of Britain provides an example that makes a mockery of
Tebbit's views. Most Hindus in the UK (though not all) are ethnic Indians,
and come cricket time most of us do a good show of support for the country
of our forefathers. Most of us do have a culture that is different in many
ways compared with that of mainstream British society. But at the same time,
we haven't had major issues of integration with British society. When the
bombs went of on 7/7 most of us felt just as outraged as anybody else.
What people like Tebbit fail to understand
is that in the modern age people should have the outlook of being global citizens,
and have an affinity for humanity at large compared with an overbearing allegiance
to any country. People who think and act as global citizens may have certain
loyalties and fondness for their country, or country of origin, or some other
grouping of people such as those who share the same mother-tongue. But on
the whole, their concern is for a wider sense of justice and for the well
being of all. If people have this outlook, it doesn't matter what cricket
team they support, they are inevitably going to be good citizens of any democratic
and open society. They will easily be able to live in harmony with other communities
that live alongside them, and problems of integration would not arise even
while having different cultures. People who think as global citizens will
be an asset to whatever country they live in, regardless of what cricket team
they support. By contrast a hooligan who is a staunch supporter of the English
football team, but manifests this "love of the country" by rioting
and who has been on the dole all his life is not an asset but a liability.
A person may have several dimensions to their
identity. To us Hindus in Britain there is our religion, our country of origin,
the language we speak, the country in which we live. Any one person may attach
a greater or lesser importance to each of these. But to most Hindus these
do not clash or create conflict, provided that in the forefront of our consciousness
there is the universal outlook that our Sages taught us (Vasudaiva kutumbha
- the entire world is one family).
Simplifying problems of integration and terrorism
to something superficial a like the Cricket Team Test or blaming multiculturalism
totally fails to explain why some communities have had problems getting along
with British society while others haven't. It obscures the underlying issue.
The reason why many Muslims have had problems with integration is not because
they have a different culture, but largely because of an outlook that makes
them identify very strongly with other Muslims as a world-wide family, but
at the same time see non-Muslims with distrust. It is the widespread perception
of an eternal frontier between believers and non-believers, which feeds a
persecution complex in impressionable youth. It is rooting out of this kind
of attitude from young minds that would go a long way towards solving the
problems of terrorism and inter-community relations, and indeed most conflicts
that exist today in the world.
