There’s more that unites us than divides

RONALD Reagan probably put it best when he was negotiating nuclear arms reductions with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.

He made the point that if, during their discussions, the world had been invaded by beings from another planet, then their nations would forget their petty squabbles.

I have seen a lot of pictures on Twitter of Muslims standing in uniforms beside their Christian comrades during the Second World War posted by people who clearly share Reagan’s sense that there is ultimately more that unites us than divides us.

Members of my faith are of course just the latest in a succession of groups that have been singled out for vilification over the years: the Irish, Afro-Caribbeans, and Liverpudlians all had to take their turns in the stocks before us.

There are, of course, good and bad in every section of society, and we have all seen the badness in people who have warped the values of my faith over the past year, but as a student of history I worry when any minority group is repeatedly singled out, not least by a serving American president.

The Daily Mail, in particular, seems concerned about Muslims living in this great city. “How DID Birmingham become the Jihadist capital?”, it asked in the aftermath of the terrorist attack in Westminster earlier this year. That headline has consequences for the lives of myself and millions of others in this city and beyond.

I have had people ‘joke’ to me whether I’d be allowed through airport security on the basis of how I look. I have a name that makes it less likely that I will be called for a job interview. On public transport, I have been on the receiving end of Islamaphobic abuse. I believe, however, passionately in this country and no random bigot or headline will knock that out of me.

There are, of course, issues of radicalisation that need to be addressed, but the current discourse conflates the actions of a few with an entire group, most of whom have enriched our society beyond measure.

Everybody who has been given the privilege of a pulpit in our society – politicians, journalists or indeed religious leaders – needs to recognise that generalisations are dangerous.

Amil Khan is a Conservative Party activist from Edgbaston