To: The Guardian
Dear Editor,
A multicultural society is not a melting pot of various nationalities, and the identity of the ethnic minorities should not be enforced into a straitjacket or imposed as a mixed one, e.g. Indian-British. It should be accepted that their identity is a double concept with distinctive features: a) the ethnic, Indian, and b) the cultural, British.
The ethnic identity is inherited by birth and cannot be altered or eroded by the prevailing culture of society, and any assault on the individual’s ethnic heritage will cause alienation and provoke enmity. However, the cultural identity is acquired by social osmosis and encapsulates the social habits and behaviour which the person picks up through the practice of everyday life and socialisation.
Therefore, in order to achieve normal integration of ethnic minorities into British society, they should be allowed to feel proud of their ethnic origin and traditions and, at the same time, they should face up to their responsibility to behave and act as loyal British citizens and thus secure the desired social harmony.
Yours faithfully,
Michael Christodoulides
Educationist