Multi-culture policies failed, says Cameron

The Prime Minister will demand a shift away from “failed policies” of multi-culturalism in which different cultures have been encourage to live separate lives, saying that the failure to confront the “horrors” of forced marriage has created a sense of separation which leaves young Muslims vulnerable to extremism.

He will advocate a new, tougher approach to preventing British youngsters being radicalised, calling for a shared identity to be fostered and terrorism to be “confronted with confidence” in order to prevent repeats of the London bombings, in which three of the four bombers were from West Yorkshire.

He will accuse some groups who pitch themselves as representing the Muslim community of being “part of the problem”, claiming they have been “showered with public money” despite doing little to tackle extremism.

In order to get public funding or share platforms with Ministers, groups will now have to prove they believe in British values and want to foster a shared identity to stamp out extremism rather than tolerating it.

“Under the doctrine of state multi-culturalism, we have encouraged different cultures to live separate lives, apart from each other and the mainstream,” Mr Cameron will say in a speech to the Munich Security Conference.

“We have failed to provide a vision of society to which they feel they want to belong. We have even tolerated these segregated communities behaving in ways that run counter to our values.

“So when a white person holds objectionable views – racism, for example – we rightly condemn them. But when equally unacceptable views or practices have come from someone who isn’t white, we’ve been too cautious, frankly even fearful, to stand up to them.

“The failure of some to confront the horrors of forced marriage, the practice where some young girls are bullied and sometimes taken abroad to marry someone they don’t want to, is a case in point. This hands-off tolerance has only served to reinforce the sense that not enough is shared.

“All this leaves some young Muslims feeling rootless. And the search for something to belong to and believe in can lead them to this extremist ideology.”

The Prime Minister’s speech sets out a new path for tackling extremism and comes after Ministers vowed to overhaul the Preventing Violent Extremism programme which saw millions of pounds flow into projects in areas like West Yorkshire, but which was accused of being divisive and alienating Muslims.

Mr Cameron will say there is a clear divide between Islamist extremism – a political ideology supported by a minority – and the religion of Islam, and will “completely reject” those who portray a “clash of civilisations”.

It is time to “turn the page on the failed policies of the past”, he will say, adding: “Firstly, instead of ignoring this extremist ideology, we – as governments and societies – have got to confront it, in all its forms. And second, instead of encouraging people to live apart, we need a clear sense of shared national identity, open to everyone.”

Mr Cameron will say governments must ban preachers of hate, proscribe organisations that incite terrorism and “make it impossible for the extremists to succeed”, while taking a tough stand to create a shared identity such as making sure immigrants speak English.

But he will say that more should be done to work with “the vast often unheard majority” of Muslims who despise the extremists and their world view in order to defeat “ideas that warp so many minds at their root”.

Today’s speech comes days after Tory party co-chairman Baroness Warsi, from Dewsbury, used a speech to warn that prejudice against Muslims was rife and has become socially acceptable.