What’s wrong with multiculturalism?
by Tim Dieppe, Christian Concern:
What is ‘multiculturalism’?
We need to start by defining our terms. What exactly do we mean by ‘multiculturalism’? There is a significant difference between describing something as ‘multicultural’, and the word ‘multiculturalism’. It’s that suffix ‘-ism’ that turns the adjective ‘multicultural’ into the ideology of ‘multiculturalism’. Think for example of: communism, capitalism, secularism, racism, sexism, nationalism, Marxism, statism, feminism, conservatism, liberalism, Darwinism, fatalism, ecumenism, and vegetarianism. These are all ideologies, as is ‘multiculturalism’. A ‘multiculturalist’ is someone who advocates the ideology of multiculturalism.
The ideology of multiculturalism is based on the idea that all cultures are equally valid. No one culture is better than another. All cultures are worthy of equal respect. As a state-sponsored policy it refers to the policy of expecting people from multiple different cultures to live harmoniously alongside each other without any shared values or customs. Since multiculturalists believe that all cultures are equal, they therefore believe that it would be immoral, or even racist, to expect people from radically different cultures to adopt any particular values, ethics, customs, or practices. Instead, they argue that we ought to allow them to live their lives according to their own customs, and respect these practices no matter how different or conflicting they may be.
The political failure of multiculturalism
The meaning of multiculturalism is demonstrated by showing how politicians have recently used it. It was the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, who was the first major national leader to openly admit the political failure of multiculturalism. In a major ‘state of the nation’ speech in October 2010 she said:
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