The miracle of human variety is in danger of disappearing, if all of us speak alike, dress alike, eat the same food, read the same fiction and enjoy the same music. It would be a great loss to our colourful planet. Public sector needs a multilingual work force. Teachers and police officers can help with race relations in the classroom and in the community. Public sector is seeking multilingual recruits to serve multicultural Britain. The ability to speak languages from Arabic to Urdu is considered to be an asset. Linguistic skills, in addition to the usual entry criteria, will boost the number of recruits in teaching, police, medicine, nursing and the civil service. Bilingual teachers, police officers, doctors and nurses are in a better position to serve the bilingual Muslim community. The language system has been used successfully in the United States. Mary Doherty at TTA, points out those bilingual teachers can be particularly welcome in state schools for bilingual pupils. Various studies show that bilingualism increases overall intelligence. Monolingualism leads to isolationist and inward thinking.
Exposure to different languages and cultures can increase tolerance. Language learning in childhood lays the foundations for developing real fluency in that language. Every child should have the opportunity to study a foreign language and develop their interest in the culture of other nations. Languages can be seen as an important way of putting more fun into primary learning and of broadening the children experience. Learning a second language boosts your intellectual powers by physically increasing the number of nerve cells in the language centres of the brain. A study at University College London shows that the brains of bilingual people are structurally enhanced compared to the brains of people who can only speak one language. The effect is even more marked in people who learnt a second language before they were five. Speaking a second language is like having access to another world. No other subject expands mental horizons in the same way. In an ordinary inner city school in England, nearly 100 languages are spoken, yet still essentially this is still a monolingual nation. London is the most multicultural city in the world with over 300 languages spoken everyday.
Bilingual Muslim children need state funded Muslim schools with bilingual teachers as role models during their developmental periods. All state schools where Muslim pupils are the majority should be designated as Muslim community schools. They are in a better position to provide balanced education by teaching the National Curriculum along with Arabic, Islamic studies, Urdu and other community languages. An Islamic atmosphere will help to develop Islamic Identity crucial for mental, emotional and personality development.
Iftikhar Ahmad
The bilingual part is good but why limit it to Muslims? Your logic is self defeating since there are lot more white students in UK schools that speak only English and so such funding will go to them so they can learn a second language.
I think you should erase the religious or ethnic qualifiers in your post then it is all good
You move to Britian, I mean, I don't think I'm being wildly out of line by suggesting that if you don't want to live in a multicultural society, it might not be a good idea to move to one? If I bring this up in conversation people back away as though I'm going to join the BNP (though it's precisely this sort of crap that makes those retards so popular in the 1st place).
I should add, that I don't buy into the whole Mark Steyn, Europe being overrun by Muslims type stuff. I'm happy we have Muslims in our country, I like the diversity and think they contribute a lot to our society. I doubt they'll be the downfall of our Enlightenment values. However, there are certain rules that Muslims must play by if they live in tolerant liberal democracies. Most do. Those that don't want to, can get the first plane back to Saudi.
Thanks danny, as a born brit I disagree with Iftikhar's post.
and iftikhar, as far as language, culture, beliefs go. lets not make that the state's responsibility, its the family's responsibility.
they can teach their kid urdu, romanian, swahili and klingon language as far as I am concerned. same for their faith and sect and school of thought and whatever.
Your thread seems to be a little bewildered by the difference between linguistics and the religion, nevertheless, keeping the religion out of the picture; your citations seem to make sense regarding evolution of human brains by learning different languages.
The Pope will issue a compelling call to Britain to reclaim its Christian roots today as he embarks on one of the most important speeches of his pontificate. He will emphasise the role of religion “in the public square” in a speech…
If British-Muslims who were born and raised in Britain would dare to disagree with this speech would you tell them to “get the first plane back to Saudi.”?
Do you agree to every thing Imam–E-Kaba says?
What type of “tolerant and liberal democracy” do you refer to?
The biggest problem Muslims in the west have is their inability to integrate into western societies, and having bilingual schools doesn't help. That is why west fears Muslims b/c they think instead of integrating into western societies the Muslims are importing cultures and ideas that are not only diametrically opposed to their values, but detrimental to their existence.
Bilingual Muslim children need state funded Muslim schools with bilingual teachers as role models during their developmental periods. All state schools where Muslim pupils are the majority should be designated as Muslim community schools. They are in a better position to provide balanced education by teaching the National Curriculum along with Arabic, Islamic studies, Urdu and other community languages. An Islamic atmosphere will help to develop Islamic Identity crucial for mental, emotional and personality development.
Iftikhar Ahmad