Bishop responds to Muslim 'no-go areas' backlash

|PIC1|The Bishop of Rochester has issued a statement offering clarification on the remarks he made that Islamic extremism was turning some parts of Britain into "no-go areas" for people of different faiths.

Writing in the Sunday Telegraph last weekend, the Rt Rev Michael Nazir-Ali warned that the resurgence of Islamic extremism around the world was turning "already separate communities into "no-go areas" and that "hostility" in some parts was making it difficult for non-Muslims trying to live or work there.

The reaction to the Bishop's statement has been mixed. Prime Minister Gordon Brown rejected Bishop Nazir-Ali's assertion that Britain's Christian heritage was being eroded as a result of the Government's multi-cultural agenda.

"I know that there are pressures in many areas of the country but I don't accept that there are or should be no-go areas in any part of the country," he said at his first Downing Street news conference of the year on Tuesday.

"I do believe that Britain's Christian heritage which underlies the establishment of the church is an absolutely critical and essential part of the fabric of our national life."

Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg said the idea of no-go areas was "a gross caricature of reality", while Conservative Shadow Foreign Secretary William Hague told Sky News the bishop had "probably put it too strongly".

Other Church of England bishops have rallied behind Bishop Nazir-Ali, however, including the Bishop of Burnley, the Rt Rev John Goddard, whose diocese is home to a large Muslim population.

In his defence of the Bishop of Rochester, Bishop Goddard warned of anxiety among Christians living in areas where they are outnumbered by Muslims caused by fears that their views may be misinterpreted.

"It is not fear that there is going to be retaliation but it is a fear that you get it badly wrong and cause hurt to others of integrity of other faith you did not intend," he told The Daily Telegraph newspaper.

"When you engage in proclaiming the Christian faith in an area dominated by another religion, I and others tread very carefully so that the message is heard and not seen as some sort of oppression."

He added that Christians living in towns with a large Muslim population, such as Blackburn and Burnley, could "sometimes feel as though they are strangers".

The Bishop of Rochester attempted to clarify some of his comments in a statement in which he said that the main thrust of his article was "to note that successive governments have failed to foster an integrating vision for Britain based on its Christian foundations".

"Such 'separation' will end only when the hosts can offer proper hospitality, not mere tolerance, and other communities can respond with openness and respect for the well-springs of British values," said Bishop Nazir-Ali.

Some Muslims are now calling for the Bishop of Rochester to resign. Mohammed Shafiq, from the Ramadhan Foundation, was quoted by the Daily Telegraph as saying that the Bishop was "promoting hatred towards Muslims and should resign".

In his statement, Bishop Nazir-Ali said that he did not intend to offend Muslims.

"I deeply regret any hurt and do not wish to cause offence to anyone, let alone my Muslim friends, but unless we diagnose the malaise from which we all suffer we shall not be able to discover the remedy," he said.

The Bishop said he hoped his comments would lead to a "proper diagnosis and, therefore, to an appropriate remedy for separation in due course".