An unexpected lesson on diversity from the UK
Three of the most important jobs in Britain are held by people of Indian or Pakistani origin. Five years ago, that would have been impossible to conceive of.
If it hadn’t actually happened, it’s hard to believe it would have. Even if it were fiction, this would feel like fantasy. And yet it has happened and it’s certainly left me stunned. Today, three of the most important jobs in Britain are held by people of Indian or Pakistani origin. Five years ago, that would have been impossible to conceive of. Even last summer, when Rishi Sunak was defeated by Liz Truss for the leadership of the Conservative Party, hardly anyone believed the United Kingdom would have a brown-skinned Prime Minister (PM) in our lifetime.
Yet, in October, Sunak, a person of Hindu Indian origin, became PM. Last week, Humza Yousaf, of Muslim Pakistani origin, became First Minister of Scotland. And, since 2016, Sadiq Khan, another Muslim of Pakistani origin, has been mayor of London. He’s now serving his second term. Each of them was elected, not appointed. And the vast majority of the electors who chose them are white. Yet, according to the 2021 census, people of Indian origin are just 2.86% of the United Kingdom’s population. People of Pakistani origin are just 1.86%.
This reminds me of the Cambridge Union debate in December 1976, when I took over as president from Peter Fudakowski, the outgoing president of Anglo-Polish origin. With his tongue firmly planted in his cheek, Peter decided that the motion for his presidential debate — which was the occasion when I would succeed him — would be: “This House is going to the Wogs!” It was meant as a joke. Peter, in fact, thought it a hoot. Fifty years later, it’s turned out to be the truth!
Long live Blighty. What an incredible country and, I would add, a beacon to the rest of the world. Actually, us in particular. They have elevated second and third-generation immigrants, who are Hindus and Muslims, to some of the highest positions in their government. And the important thing is no one seems to mind. There are no public protests. There are no howls of objection.
In contrast, look at us. We tell our fellow Muslim citizens — whose ancestors were born here centuries ago and who are as Indian as any Hindu — to go to Pakistan. Some of our politicians taunt them in public. Our police bulldoze their houses without due process. We forcefully shut their shops at Ram Navami. We accuse them of love jihad. At times, we even deny their identity, calling them Hindu Muslims instead. They’ve even been called termites.
So, if we call the British racists — which we often do — what adjective is the right one for us? I don’t propose to give you the answer. That would be tendentious, if not provocative. But I definitely do intend to raise the question in the hope it will make you think about how we’re treating our fellow citizens. And, yes, what impact this has on them.
The latter is not an issue many of us think about. It’s so easy to insult. We often do it unthinkingly. It causes us no discomfort. It’s a lot more difficult to bear the injury and live with it. Even worse, when you know this is the only home you have and there is no escaping from it.
No doubt the Britain I studied in was another country. Brown-skinned people were called wogs, blacks were called worse. The whites were divided by class and accent. How you spoke determined how you were treated. But in half a century, the British have changed. The old country has disappeared. There may be remnants of it at the fringes but at its heart, the United Kingdom has been recreated.
That is the challenge we face in India today. Can we overcome our demons? Can we vanquish them? To a very substantial extent, Britain has. Will we? I won’t be around to know the answer. It will take more than a lifetime or two. But will we succeed? At the moment, I can only hear the sound of silence.
Karan Thapar is the author of Devil’s Advocate: The Untold Story
The views expressed are personal
If it hadn’t actually happened, it’s hard to believe it would have. Even if it were fiction, this would feel like fantasy. And yet it has happened and it’s certainly left me stunned. Today, three of the most important jobs in Britain are held by people of Indian or Pakistani origin. Five years ago, that would have been impossible to conceive of. Even last summer, when Rishi Sunak was defeated by Liz Truss for the leadership of the Conservative Party, hardly anyone believed the United Kingdom would have a brown-skinned Prime Minister (PM) in our lifetime.
Yet, in October, Sunak, a person of Hindu Indian origin, became PM. Last week, Humza Yousaf, of Muslim Pakistani origin, became First Minister of Scotland. And, since 2016, Sadiq Khan, another Muslim of Pakistani origin, has been mayor of London. He’s now serving his second term. Each of them was elected, not appointed. And the vast majority of the electors who chose them are white. Yet, according to the 2021 census, people of Indian origin are just 2.86% of the United Kingdom’s population. People of Pakistani origin are just 1.86%.
This reminds me of the Cambridge Union debate in December 1976, when I took over as president from Peter Fudakowski, the outgoing president of Anglo-Polish origin. With his tongue firmly planted in his cheek, Peter decided that the motion for his presidential debate — which was the occasion when I would succeed him — would be: “This House is going to the Wogs!” It was meant as a joke. Peter, in fact, thought it a hoot. Fifty years later, it’s turned out to be the truth!
Long live Blighty. What an incredible country and, I would add, a beacon to the rest of the world. Actually, us in particular. They have elevated second and third-generation immigrants, who are Hindus and Muslims, to some of the highest positions in their government. And the important thing is no one seems to mind. There are no public protests. There are no howls of objection.
In contrast, look at us. We tell our fellow Muslim citizens — whose ancestors were born here centuries ago and who are as Indian as any Hindu — to go to Pakistan. Some of our politicians taunt them in public. Our police bulldoze their houses without due process. We forcefully shut their shops at Ram Navami. We accuse them of love jihad. At times, we even deny their identity, calling them Hindu Muslims instead. They’ve even been called termites.
So, if we call the British racists — which we often do — what adjective is the right one for us? I don’t propose to give you the answer. That would be tendentious, if not provocative. But I definitely do intend to raise the question in the hope it will make you think about how we’re treating our fellow citizens. And, yes, what impact this has on them.
The latter is not an issue many of us think about. It’s so easy to insult. We often do it unthinkingly. It causes us no discomfort. It’s a lot more difficult to bear the injury and live with it. Even worse, when you know this is the only home you have and there is no escaping from it.
No doubt the Britain I studied in was another country. Brown-skinned people were called wogs, blacks were called worse. The whites were divided by class and accent. How you spoke determined how you were treated. But in half a century, the British have changed. The old country has disappeared. There may be remnants of it at the fringes but at its heart, the United Kingdom has been recreated.
That is the challenge we face in India today. Can we overcome our demons? Can we vanquish them? To a very substantial extent, Britain has. Will we? I won’t be around to know the answer. It will take more than a lifetime or two. But will we succeed? At the moment, I can only hear the sound of silence.
Karan Thapar is the author of Devil’s Advocate: The Untold Story
The views expressed are personal
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