Article - What Role, if any, do Public Displays of Faith Play in British Life?
This debate was sparked following the Open Iftar attended by over 3,000 in Trafalgar Square. Nick Timothy called the multi-faith shared meal an ‘act of domination’ that divides, condemning it against British norms and traditions. He further went on to claim that religious rituals are ‘not welcome in our public places.’
Questioning the place of religion in a British, liberal, and secular society is one that has occupied much of our politics especially over the last two decades. More than this, British discourse on the place of religion in public life traces back centuries to 17th-century Enlightenment within the context of the movement which pushed for Church-State separation. Upon studying this, it would not be imprudent to assert that historically conservative views of religion are, in fact, much more tolerant than present-day, widespread views against religion across right-wing politics (if not the whole political spectrum).
One of The Criterion’s core values is fide - faith; our work is rooted in the protection of selflessness, with a trust in something greater than ourselves. We take pride in the fact that our philosophy is inspired by diverse intellect and intellectuals - both Western and non-Western. One of these intellectuals is John Locke - an esteemed English philosopher of the Enlightenment era, also widely recognised for his ideas on the role of religion within a liberal state. Locke strongly held the view that the state should not interfere with religious practice, regardless of whether that practice be public or private. Albeit, he believed this to the extent that religious practice does not disturb civil order. But does an inclusive, publicly-held iftar - bringing together groups of different ethnic, racial, and religious (or non-religious) backgrounds - disturb ‘civil order’? Frankly, who decides what and who is a threat to civil order - and to whose civil order?
If Britain wants a truly cohesive society, its inhabitants must now accept that they live in a multifaith society. Christianity has been integral to British society since antiquity. Faith has lived on these isles much longer than we can imagine. Christianity was not born here - it was brought here by non-natives. Just as Britain in its most ancient forms accepted Christianity, Britain in its modern and post-modern forms must also accept the arrival of other, foreign faiths.
Britain must realise that its civil order now not only concerns its ‘native’, Christian population, but is also deeply tied with and dependent on its non-Native, non-Christian population. We must accept that this diversity of faith is now an inseparable part of civic society - as long as it does not threaten our civil order. And it would be ludicrous to suggest that this iftar in question threatened our civil order.
The UK should be proud to be a signatory of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). The treaty protects the democracy, human rights, and rule of law that patriotic Britons so staunchly cherish and defend. Article 9 of the ECHR guarantees the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion. It gifts individuals the right to hold and practice their beliefs - religious, atheist, or agnostic - publicly or privately. The core philosophy of Article 9 emphasises the innermost realm of human belief - the absolute and inviolable. It ensures that the state has no right to dictate what an individual thinks, believes, or feels in their conscience. This also protects the ‘free speech’ that the far-right weaponise to stir up hostility against faith groups. In this context, Nick Timothy’s statement implies that Muslims and other non-Christian faith groups - contrary to their Christian counterparts - have no right over Article 9. Such thinking is ironic when considering that Britain is a fundamentally democratic society for all.
In the words of Nick Timothy himself, Trafalgar Square does ‘belong to all of us’. All includes both natives and non-natives, both agnostics and atheists, and both Christian and other faith groups. Acknowledging and accommodating for this irreversible diversity is essential for a unified society.
All includes all of us living peacefully in British society today.
