National identity is under the microscope after the Government proposed a Britain Day as Political Editor Jonathan Walker reports.
Britain has failed to help immigrants to feel part of British society.
That was the message from Conservative leader David Cameron yesterday as he reflected on his recent stay in Birmingham.
He said he understood the scale of the problem after spending a night as the guest of a Muslim family in the city, and warned that Britain needed to face up to the "growing problem of cultural separatism" in this country.
He was speaking at a conference on "Islam and Muslims in the World Today" at the University of Cambridge. His comments meant both major parties were concentrating on ways of strengthening British identity yesterday.
Immigration Minister Liam Byrne, MP for Birmingham Hodge Hill, and Local Government Secretary Ruth Kelly argued it was essential to promote a stronger sense of Britishness, in a pamphlet published by the Fabian Society.
Their suggestions included a national "Britain" day, which would provide an opportunity for the nation to celebrate its history and achievements in a similar way to the Fourth of July in the US.
Meanwhile, Mr Cameron highlighted his overnight stay with the Rehman family in Balsall Heath, Birmingham, last month.
He said: "Of course the vast majority of families of recent immigrant origin do feel a strong sense of citizenship and what it is to be British.
"Indeed, my time in Birmingham with the Rehmans showed that if we want to remind ourselves of British values - hospitality, tolerance and generosity to name just three - there are plenty of British Muslims ready to show us what those things really mean."
But the stay also heightened his concern that some Muslims were feeling separate from the rest of British society.
He said: "I recently visited a mosque in Birmingham and got some depressing questions about who was really responsible for 9/11 and even 7/7.
"That it was a CIA plot. That Jews had been told to leave the twin towers.
"When it comes to 7/7, there was real scepticism about the suicide bomber videos being fake or not."
He added: "Some recent opinion polls have suggested that we may have a growing problem of cultural separatism.
"In other words, the next generation of British Muslims are more separate from mainstream opinion than their parents."
But it was difficult to encourage people to feel British unless Britain stood for civilised values, he said.
His hosts, Abdullah and Shahida Rehman, had talked about the uncivilised behaviour and values they saw around them, he added.
"Drugs, crime, incivility are - we have to admit - an all too common part of life in modern Britain. We have to understand that integration is a two-way street. It is about more than immigrant communities, 'their' responsibilities and 'their' duties.
"It has to be about the majority population too - the quality of life we offer, our society and our values."
America had created a strong sense of identity for all its citizens through daily rituals like the Pledge of Allegiance and national holidays such as an Independence Day and Thanksgiving, Mr Cameron said.
He added: "It is this strong sense of inclusive identity that has helped make so many people feel part of American society.
"In Britain, we have to be honest: we have failed to do the same. We have not opened up our sense of citizenship to all those that have come to live here."
The Tory leader called for a series of measures to promote British identity, including ensuring history is taught in schools in a way that celebrated Britain's positive achievements at home and abroad.
He also said all immigrants should learn English and it was important to speak out in favour of British values, such as equality between the sexes, instead of worrying about offending ethnic minorities.
The Commission for Racial Equality yesterday echoed warnings that communities were living separate lives.
Nick Johnson, the CRE's director of policy and public sector, said: "Segregation, in terms of race, religion and ethnicity is becoming a huge problem in Britain.
"If this worrying trend continues, the UK will no longer be the 'United Kingdom' of years gone by. We will be living separate lives and frictions between communities will increase."
He backed the idea of a new British national day, describing it as excellent.
"We would embrace wholeheartedly any efforts to bring people from different communities together," he said.
Idea of Britain Day 'seems to be a gimmick'
Dr Vijayakar Abrol came to Britain from India in 1965, and believes any celebration should focus on the positive contributions made by immigrants.
"I would be happy with an extra day of holiday each year but to me the whole idea seems to be a gimmick," he said. "I think we are really clutching at straws and trying to copy the American model of an Independence Day. It is hard to see what we are really going to get out of it.
"A national day should focus on the contributions many of us have made after coming to Britain. Too often people are labelled as Asian' or 'immigrant' and there is not enough discussion of what various groups have achieved.
"Groups which are not so vocal often get ignored and we should be looking more at what we can do for the country rather than what benefits we should get."
Bishop Joe Aldred, chairman of the Council of Black-led Churches, is uncomfortable with the idea of a Britain Day.
"It just doesn't strike a chord with me," he said. "There are still problems to be tackled and my suspicion is that Britain Day would fail to strike a chord with many of the newer Britons who have issues with the links between this country and its imperial past.
"As an alternative I would like to see a celebration along the lines of a Freedom Day. We could unite behind the concept of freedom and address Britain's role as both liberator and oppressor.
"Particularly this year, on the anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade, we could celebrate the laying to rest of that horrible period of history and deal with issues surrounding all forms of oppression."
Raymond Griffiths, aged 80, a Second World War veteran from Wollescote, Dudley, said he would like to see Britain celebrate its shared history and stage more events to commemorate war heroes.
"I think all the older generation would welcome a Britain Day," he said. In some circumstances it will be a very useful tool for raising awareness about the history of our country."
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