Comment: Integration against the odds
- The biggest barrier to Muslim integration is not radical sects – it’s our unreasonable standards

The word ‘integration’ is used a terrible lot in politics these days. It sums up the social philosophies of each of the three main parties – integration, integration, integration. Indeed the word is used so often, that every now and then I found myself scanning through the pages of the dictionary to check what it means. It’s baffling that such a coy and tentative word could spawn such fiery debates.

My first surprise on turning to the dictionary was that the definition made no allusion to Islam. This is strange: the word is used almost exclusively in the context of British Muslims. But perhaps the meaning of the word is changing too quickly for the dictionary.

After all, the past two years have seen a dramatic change in the word’s meaning. In the months after 7/7, the word carried New Jerusalem-esque significance – it forecasted an age of tolerance, reached by mutual dialogue. Now the word is used to belittle and criticise the progress made by British Islam – as an affront to the multiculturalism it was once used to promote.

This is evident in the burqini debate. An Australian company has launched an innovative design of sportswear. By combining the piety of traditional Islamic dress and the streamlined practicality of swimwear, they’ve designed a garment which Muslim women can wear as they swim. And it’s taken off – the company’s website is rich with testimonies from satisfied customers.

Outside the Muslim community the garment has its critics – and they’re making a lot of noise. Pictures of the garment can be found in vicious viral e-mails. In the blogosphere it has become the subject of scathing jokes. Other commentators try to make their cultural contempt by picking out flaws in the design – “It’s PC gone mad. Can you imagine the water resistance?”, one blogger comments.

But why this abundant cynicism? Surely the burqini represents a high point of integration? Not only is it a radical design – it’s hard to imagine ‘us’ employing such creativity and nonconformity in the name of integration – but the company is run by a devout Muslim woman. If women’s rights in Islam are a concern, then surely such independence and initiative should be celebrated?

The burqini website explains how the suit is carefully designed to facilitate movement in the water – the concern about water resistance turned out to be unfounded. But the image of a fully-clothed person struggling to wade through water is appropriate. That’s how it must feel to be a British Muslim today: the stronger you try to move forward, the stronger the resistance becomes.

The next time politicians demand integration they should pause to think about what the word means. When did we seize this cultural yardstick and use it to beat those who it was intended to guide? And when did we escape from the integration equation, and instead appoint ourselves as the fastidious referee? Integration has become a cruel paradox – it demands active steps from minorities, yet any steps they take are manipulated and used to malign them.

A particularly fashionable demand amongst politicians and commentators is that minorities should learn to speak English. The Oxford English Dictionary defines integration as a gradual process in which multiple elements are brought together – rather than one element being slammed into a wall of submission. Perhaps we should worry less about minorities’ grasp of English, and have a think about our own.