How does a society become united when people have different religions, cultures and political perspectives? That was the question posed by the eminent academic Lord Bhikhu Parekh at the fourth Parliamentary Seminar organised by the Institute for Social Cohesion, an initiative of the UK Bahá'í community. Lord Parekh began with the conclusion that what unites us is citizenship. Providing six key conditions to be met in order that a community could be held together, Lord Parekh identified: the need for respect for a common body of democratic political and legal institutions; a sense of belonging to the country; a set of public values; the need for equality, the necessity for respecting people’s legitimate differences and identities; and a shared concept of the identity of being British.  “National identity is something that has to be affirmed, it has to be exercised in our day to day lives," Lord Parekh stated, "We are British to the extent that we act as British, that this country means something to us and that we actively participate in the life of the community.”

The seminar, held at Westminster on 3rd December 2002 to study Citizenship and Identity, also welcomed community cohesion consultant Steve White who gave a practical example of citizenship as seen within the context of  Rushymead School in Leicester. “We are trying hard to work towards a sense of the young people being able to make their unique contribution," he said, "...giving youngsters an opportunity to delve into an active citizenship course. We have to give them the tool kit to survive and thrive in our modern society, a sense of what are the rights of an individual and therefore on the other side of the coin, the responsibilities.” White concluded that it is "about young people coming together and pledging a commitment to a practical project, giving them a handle on it and just getting more people involved, bringing them together and going for it!”

In conclusion, Dr. Wendi Momen, a Bahá’í respondent, stated that the challenges facing the United Kingdom were the same as the challenges that need to be addressed on the international level. She suggested that it was necessary to gain a sense of a citizenship and loyalty within the family as the building block for the rest of humanity. These would be the foundations for national and international citizenship. "Work, she said, "needs to be done at three levels of responsibility - personal, community and political - at the local, national and international levels in order to achieve the unity in the world that is a key concept in addressing the issue of citizenship and identity." 

                                                                                            CM