By Prasun Sonwalkar, IANS
London : Buoyed by higher ratings than Labour in recent opinion polls, the Conservative party hopes that the party will enlist more support from Britain’s Asian community with the recent appointment of Sayeeda Warsi as the first Muslim in the shadow cabinet.
Warsi took her seat in the House of Lords Monday as Baroness Warsi of Dewsbury. She becomes the first Muslim to sit at cabinet level and the first female Muslim to sit for the Conservatives in the houses of parliament.
Earlier this year, party leader David Cameron turned up at a function in Leicester where Hindu spiritual leader Morari Bapu was reciting ‘Ramkatha’ (excerpts from Hindu epic Ramayana). The event, which attracted a large number of his followers from Leicester, other parts of Europe and the US, proved a major platform for Cameron to appeal for support from Britain’s Hindu community.
At 36, Sayeeda is the youngest member of the Lords. In June, David Cameron, leader of the Conservative Party, appointed Warsi to the shadow cabinet as shadow minister for community cohesion.
Setting out the Conservative vision for Community Cohesion, Baroness Warsi said: “Community cohesion is how we all live together with ease, how we feel comfortable in our communities and the way in which we bind together as a nation.
“We will engage with individuals as individuals, as equal members of our society on the issues that impact on their lives and, not on the basis of their colour or religion.
“We will reject that creed of multiculturalism that is peddled by the government, where the focus is on what divides us rather than what unites us. And we will ensure that priorities on cohesion are not dictated at the centre but will trust communities to develop their own local approach to social cohesion. Where funding is not earmarked from the centre and not distributed on the basis of race or religion but on the basis of need and equality.”
On taking her seat in the Lords, Warsi said: “It was a great honour to be asked by David Cameron to join his Shadow Cabinet. I am delighted to take up my seat in the House of Lords and look forward to the hard work ahead and contributing to the excellent debates the House of Lords is renowned for.”
Congratulating Warsi on her place in the Lords, Conservative party chairperson Caroline Spelman said: “Sayeeda will be a tremendous attribute to the Conservative Party. She has already demonstrated her dedication to the work needed in tackling the issues that face Britain today.
“As the first Muslim woman to represent the Conservatives in the House of Lords she is creating a path for others to follow. The Conservative Party is focussed on making the changes Britain needs to give people more opportunity, make families stronger and Britain a safer place. I have no doubt that Sayeeda’s energy and determination will play a large part in delivering these changes.”
Cameron, who would like many to believe that he can mount a serious challenge to the Labour party at the next elections, has been straining hard to make his presence felt in the House of Commons and elsewhere. His speech at the Morari Bapu function was seen as a way to woo Britain’s Hindus – the third largest religious group after Christianity and Islam.
Picking on research conducted by the respected Runnymede Trust titled ‘Connecting British Hindus’, Cameron supported the growing demand that Hindus in Britain should be called ‘British Hindus’ or ‘British Indians’ and not ‘British Asians’.
Cameron tapped the belief of many Hindus that unlike other faiths, the Hindu community had been taken for granted by the three main parties. He strove hard to convey the message that he was aware of the problems faced by the community and that he would be the right person to deal with them.
Cameron said: “Being here today not only reminds me of the lessons offered by Hinduism as a faith, but also of the example set by British Hindus themselves. It’s hardly surprising that British Hindus have been such a successful part of our nation.
“After all, the values you brought with you when you arrived here are those traditionally associated with Britain: tolerance, honesty, enterprise, and respect for the law. Indeed, in your desire to live independently of the government while never shirking from contributing to the community, you embody the British ideal of balancing freedoms with duties.
“I know there are things that worry you. Too often, politicians seem to believe that British Hindus have no problems or concerns, and can therefore be ignored. In a sense, you’re victims of your own success.
“Everyone knows that British Hindus are good citizens. In your everyday lives – within the family, at work and in the community – you’re making real those famous words of Gandhi: ‘We must be the change we want to see in the world.’
“British Hindus are truly British, but have achieved this without giving up their religious and cultural traditions. And if you prefer to be referred to as British Hindus or British Indians rather than as simply Asians, we should welcome that as a positive thing.”