United KingdomSee also Europe, Anglo Countries. 1. Brief Introduction 1. Brief Introduction: The United Kingdom has a population of 60.5 million and a population growth rate of .28% (July 2006 est). It had a 2006 HDI ranking of #18 and a 2006 CPI ranking of 8.6. The 2001 Census listed the United Kingdom as 71.6% Christian (including Anglicans, Catholics, Presbyterians, and Methodists as the largest groups); 2.7% Muslim, 1% Hindu, 1.6% other, and 23.1% unspecified or none. Soper and Fetzer (below) document that for France, Germany, and Great Britain, religion affects politics through party identification, immigration, and education. However, the three countries have very different traditions of church-state relations. Despite inheriting an established religion, Britain exhibits much less religious tension than officially secular France. The Church of England has joined with nonconformists, Catholics, and Jews to support religious values and religious schools for all. Thirty-five percent of primary and sixteen percent of secondary schools remain church-related. The great majority of Britain’s Muslims prefer this openness to all religions rather than France’s state secularism. However, the more politicized groups like Hizb ut-Tahrir al-Islami [Islamic Party of Liberation] remain highly critical of British domestic and foreign policies for their impact on the Islamic world. The current generation of Muslim youth, many of whose fathers immigrated as workers in the 1960s from Pakistan and Bangladesh, are much more likely to be critical and to identify with Islam worldwide. Hizb ut-Tahrir, for example, supports restoration of the worldwide caliphate. In terms of the United Kingdom’s relationship to the world community, there are both special religious and political ties. From the religious perspective, the Commonwealth brings together many countries that experienced significant political and religious influence from the British Empire. Many of these countries have strong national churches that belong to the Anglican Communion. In July 2002 the Communion chose the first Archbishop of Canterbury from outside of England. The 52-year-old Welsh cleric, Dr. Rowan Williams, seemed a good fit for fostering unity among the churches of the developed and the developing world. Less than one year later, the Episcopal Church of the United States consecrated its first openly gay bishop, Canon V. Gene Robinson. Anglican leaders in Africa, Asia, and Latin America opposed the selection, and in October 2004, an Anglican Commission, headed by Archbishop Robin Eames of Armagh, Northern Ireland, called on the U.S. Episcopal Church to apologize for causing pain and division in the Communion and to refrain from consecrating gay bishops and blessing same-sex unions “until some new consensus in the Anglican Communion emerges.” As the Anglican Community serves as a “bridge church” between Reformation Protestantism and Catholicism, the United Kingdom serves as a “bridge nation” between continental Europe and the United States. Garton Ash (below) has described the four possible British alliance strategies as: (1) regain independence; (2) choose America; (3) choose Europe; and (4) try to make the best of our intimate relations with both America and Europe. The preferred fourth strategy faces its greatest test when the two entities face increasing global tensions, as in the Iraq War. Many Europeans and many British viewed Prime Minister Tony Blair as too close to the American administration. In May 2005, British voters gave the Labor Party a reduced, but still unprecedented third term in office. The very weak Conservatives failed to make significant gains at that time. One year later under new leader David Cameron, however, in local elections Conservatives did surface as the strongest party (40% to Labor’s 26%). Gordon Brown replaced Blair in June 2007. 2. Religion and Politics Sections: “Religion in Contemporary Europe and the Expansion of the European Union” (pp. 138-45) “National Europe: Politics, Immigration, and Education” (pp. 145-50) “Religion and Politics in the Contemporary West” (pp. 155-163) 3. A Short Introductory Course British sociologist Grace Davie presents the role of religion in contemporary Western Europe. Soper and Fetzer discuss religion and politics in France, Germany, and Great Britain on the issues of immigration and education. Garton Ash discusses the future of Great Britain in relation to the United States and the European Union. Davie, Grace. Religion in Modern Europe: A Memory Mutates (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000). Soper, J. Christopher, and Fetzer, Joel. “Religion and Politics in Secular Europe: Cutting Against the Grain,” in Jelen, Ted Gerard, and Wilcox, Clyde. Religion in the Comparative Perspective: The One, the Few, and the Many (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2002), 169-94. Garton Ash, Timothy. Free World: America, Europe, and the Surprising Future of the West (New York: Random House, 2004). 4. Other Resource Materials: Byatt, A.S. “What is a European?” New York Times Magazine (October 13, 2002):46-51. Coughlan, John, “God and Caesar in the New Europe,” America 189 (August 4-11, 2003): 20-23. Dawson, Christopher. The Making of Europe (Cleveland: Meridian, 1956). Emerson, Michael. Redrawing the Map of Europe (London: Macmillian Press, 1998). Greeley, Andrew M. Religion in Europe at the End of the Second Millennium: A Sociological Profile (New Brunswick, N.J.: Transaction Publishers, 2003). Judt, Tony. Postwar: A History of Europe Since 1945 (New York: Penguin, 2005). Maréchal, Brigitee, Allievi, Stefano, Dassetto, Felice, and Nielsen, Jørgen, ed. Muslims in the Enlarged Europe (Leiden: Koninklijke Brill, 2003). Nelsen, Brent F., Guth, James L., and Fraser, Cleveland R., “Does Religion Matter? Christianity and Public Support for the European Union,” European Union Politics 2 (2001). Weigel, George. The Cube and the Cathedral: Europe, America, and Politics Without God. New York: Basic Books, 2005. 5. Recent Articles (a. General, b. British Muslims, c. Northern Ireland): a. General “Laborites: Their Own Worst Enemies,” New York Times, May 10, 2006. Summary of political situation following Labor defeat in local elections. Relation of Blair and Brown. "After Decade as Prime Minister, Blair Yields Role to Gordon Brown," New York Times, June 28, 2007. "Blair, a Regular at Mass, Is Now Catholic," New York Times, December 23, 2007. Blair, now Middle East envoy, received into Catholic Church. Analysis from British and Catholic political cultures, e.g., less room to discuss in Britain than U.S. and Catholic and Vatican objections to some of his policies. b. British Muslims “Anger Burns on the Fringe of Britain’s Muslims,” New York Times, July 16, 2005. Analysis of Britain’s 1.6 millions Muslims following London bombing of July 7. “Many Muslims in Britain Tell of Feeling Torn Between Competing Identities,” New York Times, August 13, 2006. Analysis following discovery of August 2006 plot: resentment in Britain, training in Pakistan. “Britain’s Plans for Addressing Its Muslims’ Concerns Lag,” New York Times, August 19, 2006. Government’s slow response to Muslim social issues. “Young Muslims in Britain Hear Competing Appeals,” New York Times, August 29, 2006. Recruitment by Hizb ut-Tahrir, the Muslim Public Affairs Committee, and others. “Islamic Schools Test Ideal Of Integration in Britain,” New York Times, October 15, 2006. Report on Leicester Islamic Academy, which receives public funds. Is this the way to integrate 1.6 million Muslims, 3% of population? "Muslims' Viels Test Limits of Britain's Tolerance," New York Times, June 22, 2007. British debate over wearing of niqab, full-face viel, worn by a growing number, but still tiny percentage of Muslim women. "Muslims Urge Cooperation In Inquiry On Bomb Plot," New York Times, July 4, 2007. Quick condemnation of car bomb attacks by Muslim Council of Britain (500 affiliates, both Sunni and Shiite, and diverse ethnicity), and more activist British Muslim Initiative. Yahya Birt, direct of City Circle, organization of young Muslim professionals, calls it "a line in the sand moment." "London Gathering Defends Vision of Radical Islam," New York Times, August 6, 2007. In the aftermath of terrorist attacks in London and Glasgow, Hizb ut-Tahrir holds conference on "Khilafah: The Need and The Method" in the Alexandra Palace. It drew a largely professional audience. Debate on relation of group to violence. "A Battle Rages in London Over a Mega-Mosque Plan," New York Times, November 4, 2007. Debate over complex in East End near 2012 Olympic site. Sponsor is Tablighi Jamaat, worldwide Muslim evangelical group from Pakistan. Karen Armstrong's supportive article in Guardian generated significant heat. "Top Anglican Seeks a Role for Islamic Law in Britain," New York Times, February 8, 2008. Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, using Orthodox Jewish practice as an analogy, stated that introducing Shariah into British family law was "unavoidable." By this, he said, he did not mean the extreme punishments and attitudes towards women prevalent in some Islamic states. This generated strong negative political response, so that on February 12 another article featured support for the archbishop from Prime Minister Brown and his predecessor George Carey. At a previously scheduled general synod, he received a standing ovation, as he reiterated his position, but acknowledged that he may have stated it "clumsily" and "with a misleading choice of words." c. Northern Ireland "Ulster Factions Agree To A Plan For Joint Rule," New York Times, March 27, 2007. Sinn Fein's Gerry Adams and Protestant Leader Ian Paisley held their first fact-to-face talks and agreed to form a joint administration on May 8. This took place with Paisley as first minister and Sinn Fein's Martin McGuinness as deputy first minister. Tony Blair and Irish President Bertie Ahern witnessed the end of five years of direct rule by Britain. February 14, 2008. |
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