Has PM thought of the impact his words will have?

While I'm in the habit of lifting wholesale pieces from the Leicester Mercury this week, here's the Bishop of Leicester's regular "First Person" column, in which he responds to the Prime Minster's speech of last week. Bishop Tim (photo above) is Patron of Leicester Council of Faiths.

Has PM thought of the impact his words will have?

The Bishop of Leicester is left uneasy by David Cameron's recent speech on Muslim extremism

Last weekend the Prime Minister invited us to consider the difference between Islam and Islamic Extremists. The Prime Minister stated we should support and uphold a noble and ancient world religion, while condemning one cause of terrorism in the world. While I can understand the Prime Minister's decision to raise these issues, I am concerned that he has not understood the Muslim community (or rather community of communities) such as ours in Leicester, and the damage that his comments could make to the lives of ordinary Muslims and the relationships between faiths in this city.

The Prime Minister requests we listen to the voice of ordinary Muslims in our country who despise the extremists and their worldview. If only the voice of ordinary Muslims were heard in this city! They regularly condemn acts of Muslim-initiated violence and terrorism. And yet for all this condemnation, they feel unheard by successive Governments, and singled out as week by week articles appear condemning the majority for the actions of a minority.

The Muslim community in Leicester have worked hard to integrate themselves into the wider society. Muslims can be found living in most parts of the city, and in many neighbourhoods in the county. The many Muslims I have regular contact with are peace-loving, hard-working and exceptionally proud to live in the UK and call themselves British. They are proud of the Christian heritage of our nation, and their place within it. As the Prime Minister has requested, they are proud to be called Leicester British Muslims.

Our city has adopted an identity of "One Leicester" – we are one together, rich in different traditions, cultures and faiths. Many look to Leicester for an example of how to develop a strong, integrated and cohesive community. I would encourage the Prime Minister to come to Leicester and talk to us about what we have learnt, where there are still tensions and our desire to live peacefully with one another, rooting out any who want to destabilise our city.

I agree with the Prime Minister's emphasis on our national culture and on the need to avoid living parallel lives, but would ask him to consider the implications of what he says on the ordinary Muslim. It is they who so often suffer the abuse of many for the actions of a few. We have much more to do as a nation to build the kind of society we all strive for, but I would argue for a more nuanced and thought through debate, understanding the reality on the ground for Muslims, as we go forward.