Mal Fletcher says that undermining faith groups won't help us fight exremism

Mal Fletcher

Last week, British Prime Minister David Cameron addressed Australia's Federal Parliament en route to the G20 summit in Brisbane.

His speech predictably affirmed the bonds of common history and values which link these two prosperous and liberally democratic nations.

"Coming here is like visiting family," said Mr Cameron. "We have enormous affection for each other. It is hard to think of another country to which the British people feel so instinctively close."

As a proud Australian who also holds British citizenship and lives in the UK, I would agree with that sentiment.

The Prime Minister also highlighted the fact that in contemporary terms Britain and Australia are bound by the fight against a common enemy in international terrorism.

He spoke of the "extremist narrative" which is giving rise to new dangers, pointing out that while respecting mainstream Islam, governments need to challenge this radical narrative.

He added that extremist teachers need to be banned by law within our borders as we continue to fight the enemy by force of arms without.

However, his argument did not go far enough. We cannot tackle a negative narrative or worldview merely through armaments or laws. A hateful and desperate narrative must be met with a more compassionate and robust one.

Yet policies adopted under Mr Cameron's leadership, particularly on issues relating to faith schools and family structures, seem at times to undermine the national narrative which has kept Britain strong for centuries.

The Education Secretary Nicky Morgan announced recently that all faith schools must follow rules to "actively promote" British fundamental values. Private schools, academies and free schools will be subject to the possibility of censure if they do not conform to the Equality Act, encouraging respect for other religions and races, plus lesbian, gay and transgender people.

For the most, Christian faith schools will not have any issue with respecting other races. Indeed, they have often been very active in promoting better harmony within multi-ethnic communities.

And most will not take issue with the need to promote tolerance with people of other religious convictions. More than a few will already be providing their students with some foundation in comparative religious studies.

What's more, many church groups have worked hard to attempt to better understand and engage with people of alternative sexual orientations, whilst trying to remain true to their understanding of scripture.

Already, however, a number of faith schools have been subjected to snap inspections. They have complained to the appropriate authorities that they're being asked to mark too many alternative religious festivals in their schedules. They're also being pressured, they say, to provide sex education classes which, in their content, breach the tenets of their faith.