Shabana Mahmood dismisses White House’s ‘civilisational erasure’ claims | Shabana Mahmood
The US government’s claims that Europe is facing the “erasure of civilizations” due to mass immigration are an attempt to score political points against Muslims, the home secretary has suggested.
Shabana Mahmood rejected the idea that European civilization and national identities were threatened by immigration and said Britain was managing the challenges of multiculturalism “very well”.
His comments are the strongest response yet by a government minister to Donald Trump’s national security strategy. The document, published this month, triggered alarm with its wide-ranging attack on European governments and its suggestion that the US should support “patriotic” political parties.
Asked to respond to Sky News’ Trevor Phillips’ veiled criticism of the strategy and Muslims in Europe, Mahmood said: “Others will want to make political points about whether there are too many Muslims in Europe. I would say that we are a country that allows people to have the call of their own conscience to live their own lives freely, but also has common rules that we all follow so that we can live peacefully together.”
The Minister of Internal Affairs stated that “He is very proud to be a citizen of a country as diverse as ours” and added: “We are a multi-religious, multi-ethnic country. I think we manage the difficulties very well compared to other countries.”
“That doesn’t mean we don’t have work to do on integration and the pace of change in our communities. That’s why I’m looking closely at not only illegal immigrants coming into our country, but also legal immigration, to make sure it’s done in a way that maintains the public’s trust.”
Trump’s security strategy calls for a revival of “western identity” and claims that Europe will be “unrecognizable in 20 years or less” and face the “certain prospect of civilizational erasure.”
He says the US wants “Europe to remain European” and “regain its civilizational self-confidence”. He celebrates the influence of “patriotic European parties” and says that “America encourages its political allies in Europe to promote the revival of this spirit.”
The strategy appears to endorse attempts to influence politics on the continent, saying US policy should prioritize “resistance to Europe’s current course within European countries.”
The UK government has been careful not to directly criticize Trump over the document, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer saying he will always defend Europe’s “long-standing values of freedom and democracy”.
Foreign minister Seema Malhotra told the House of Commons this week that while the government disagreed with some aspects of the strategy, the United States remained a reliable and valued ally.
“We’ve seen a huge increase in anti-Muslim hate in the UK,” Sadiq Khan, who has been subjected to repeated personal attacks from Trump, told LBC radio. The London mayor added: “When President Trump says some of the things he does… he normalizes and brings into the mainstream views that I think are unacceptable.”
Explaining how being a Muslim guided him in public service, Mahmood said, “My faith is the reason why I want to serve my country and do my best to make our country a better place for millions of people.”
Asked if Britain was ready for a Muslim prime minister, he said: “It’s not something I can predict for the future, but what I can tell you is that you have a Muslim home secretary… and I think that shows the artistry of what is possible in this country.”
