In this opinion-piece an intriguing thought reflecting on second gen children of immigrants from Pakistan: "They felt negligible pride in their Pakistani heritage but had never seen much reason to affirm their Britishness: after all, the people around them didn't seem so keen on it. 'If you denigrate your own culture you face the risk of newer arrivals looking for one elsewhere,' wrote Taseer. Into that hole where Britishness should be, an Islamist identity had flowed instead. The obvious contrast was with the United States, where Muslims felt both strongly Muslim and strongly American - and where there was no homegrown jihadist movement."
And a bit later, a wider contextual reflection: "Britons are retreating into niches, rather than spending time with those around them, the way they once did. Now a 14-year-old can play World of Warcraft with a pal in Seattle as easily as kicking a football with the kids next door. It's not so much Britishness which is fraying, but the very idea of a society defined by the place where we live."
Worth pondering.
OK, let's have a Britishness test. But it must be for everyone, migrant or not | Guardian daily comment | Guardian Unlimited:
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