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Britain's chief rabbi, Jonathan Sacks (Archives)
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Last update - 15:25 21/10/2007
U.K. chief rabbi: Multiculturalism is a threat to liberal democracy
By The Associated Press
Tags: United Kingdom 

Multiculturalism promotes segregation, stifles free speech and threatens liberal democracy, Britain's top Jewish official warned in extracts from his book published Saturday.

Jonathan Sacks, Britain's chief rabbi, defined multiculturalism as an attempt to affirm Britain's diverse communities and make ethnic and religious minorities more appreciated and respected. But in his book, "The Home We Build Together: Recreating Society," he said the movement had run its course.

"Multiculturalism has led not to integration but to segregation," Sacks wrote in his book, an extract of which was published in the Times of London.
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"Liberal democracy is in danger," Sacks said, adding later: "The politics of freedom risks descending into the politics of fear."

Sacks said Britain's politics had been poisoned by the rise of identity
politics, as minorities and aggrieved groups jockeyed first for rights, then for special treatment.

The process, he said, began with Jews, before being taken up by blacks, women and gays. He said the effect had been inexorably divisive.

"A culture of victimhood sets group against group, each claiming that its
pain, injury, oppression, humiliation is greater than that of others," he
said.

In an interview with the Times, Sacks said he wanted his book to be extremely politically incorrect. But Sacks defended his strong support for Jewish schools in Britain, saying the promotion of Jewish education was compatible with integration.

Photogenic and outspoken, Sacks is highly regarded in Britain and makes
frequent appearances on television, radio and in the national press.

His reputation among Britain's 260,000-strong Jewish community is more varied.

Ultra-Orthodox believers were dismayed by the suggestion in Sacks' earlier book, "The Dignity of Difference," that the faith did not contain the absolute truth, according to The Times.

Sacks also raised hackles when, in 2002, he said in an interview that there were many things that happened in Israel that made him very uncomfortable as a Jew.

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  1.   rabbi blasts multiculturalism 01:38  |  akiva (zionist) 21/10/07
  2.   Take the lead, Chief Rabbi 02:34  |  Boris Celser 21/10/07
  3.   Do We Need a Rabbi To Tell Us That the World Isn`t Flat? 02:35  |  massaraksh 21/10/07
  4.   NO WAY! Does He Know What This Means For Jews? 02:36  |  Proud Pal Defender 21/10/07
  5.   Talk about a U turn 02:47  |  The End Is Nigh 21/10/07
  6.   Cross-Hairs 03:19  |  Brenda 21/10/07
  7.   temple in Melbourne 03:37  |  ROB OF MELBOURNE AUS 21/10/07
  8.   He strongly supports jewish schools,but rejects identity politics 04:00  |  lakshmi 21/10/07
  9.   When in Rome, Do as the Romans ! 04:01  |  MIKE 21/10/07
  10.   Mulriculturalism and democracy go together 04:21  |  Natallie Durson 21/10/07
  11.   The Rabbi is absolutely correct 04:49  |  Eli 21/10/07
  12.   Multiculturalism 04:56  |  Burke 21/10/07
  13.   Multiculturalism is Akin to Mental Illness ! 05:26  |  MKE 21/10/07
  14.   To Natallie Durson 05:38  |  Castor Troy 21/10/07
  15.   Muliculturalism sickness 05:41  |  Proud European 21/10/07
  16.   Mike: "British" is a historical construct that masks English 05:42  |  Jozef 21/10/07
  17.   SIR Jonathan Sacks is an attention seeker 06:09  |  L A 21/10/07
  18.   #15 European.. and what date should we turn the clocks back to? 06:36  |  The End Is Nigh 21/10/07
  19.   DIFFICULT CHOICE 07:34  |  PARIS 21/10/07
  20.   to Castor Troy 07:48  |  Pollux Troy 21/10/07
  21.   Hypocritical Gibberish 08:35  |  Rowan Berkeley 21/10/07
  22.   His unpopularity in Jewish circles 08:42  |  Rowan Berkeley 21/10/07
  23.   MULTICULTURALISM has become a devisive nightmare 09:11  |  PETER S.M. 21/10/07
  24.   Voice of unreason 09:11  |  david 21/10/07
  25.   Finally, someone is saying that which has been obvious, although 09:42  |  Danny 21/10/07
  26.   It`s definitely not working on the Jewish side 09:44  |  ScotGuy 21/10/07
  27.   Differentiation 09:57  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 21/10/07
  28.   Multiculturalism can work.............................. 10:00  |  manny.b 21/10/07
  29.   #19Paris: Sachs hopes to suck up to the far right 10:03  |  The End Is Nigh 21/10/07
  30.   FUKUYAMA WAS WRONG THEN, RABBI? 10:26  |  indrajaya 21/10/07
  31.   Under threat....N0 22 10:44  |  Palestinian Brit 21/10/07
  32.   More estranged....23 10:47  |  Palestinian Brits 21/10/07
  33.   To MIKE of nyc 10:49  |  Indiginous 21/10/07
  34.   "THE End is Nigh"What date?Why the 15th century,the Islamic date 10:56  |  PETER S .M. 21/10/07
  35.   To Eli of Atlanta 10:56  |  Atheist 21/10/07
  36.   Melbourne #7 10:59  |  les 21/10/07
  37.   To Castor Troy 11:04  |  Arab 21/10/07
  38.   Peter the Bigot 11:06  |  Palestinian Brit 21/10/07
  39.   Durson: Multiculuralism versus democracy 11:09  |  Ehud 21/10/07
  40.   To Margie in Tel Aviv 11:13  |  Curious 21/10/07
  41.   Sacks is right, but fearsome 11:13  |  Ehud 21/10/07
  42.   When in Rome....13 11:14  |  Palestinian Brit 21/10/07
  43.   Peter SM Your definition of multiculturism seems to be... 11:15  |  The End Is Nigh 21/10/07
  44.   Britain`s Chief Rabbi blames the Jews for British division 11:19  |  Clickfool 21/10/07
  45.   Jews and Multiculturalism part 1 11:21  |  Multi-Culturalist 21/10/07
  46.   Jews and Multiculturalism part 2 11:24  |  Multi-Culturalist 21/10/07
  47.   I hate to break it to you Europeans! 11:30  |  Religious 21/10/07
  48.   Proud European 11:30  |  MoreProud European 21/10/07
  49.   Curious 11:39  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 21/10/07
  50.   Multiculturalism leads to seperatness 11:42  |  Peter XM 21/10/07
  51.   Mad Leader...margie 11:55  |  Palestinian Brit 21/10/07
  52.   Rabbi Sacks 12:08  |  Shula 21/10/07
  53.   To Margie in Tel Aviv 12:36  |  Curious 21/10/07
  54.   when 12:58  |  david 21/10/07
  55.   PAL.Brit.The denier.Christian Arab killed in Gaza.Church attacked 13:08  |  PETER S .M. 21/10/07
  56.   to #32, palestinian Brit 13:15  |  nina 21/10/07
  57.   #30 indrajaya 13:28  |  itsik 21/10/07
  58.   Jews fought for Germany as loyal citizens in WW1 13:30  |  The End Is Nigh 21/10/07
  59.   multitribalism 13:45  |  izaak 21/10/07
  60.   Multiple identities 13:46  |  Ernest 21/10/07
  61.   Secret: there are Jews in Stamford Hill, London who... 13:51  |  The End Is Nigh 21/10/07
  62.   PeterXm.Jews in Australian schools can & do mix. 13:54  |  PETER S.M. 21/10/07
  63.   Irresponsible by the Rabbi 13:58  |  Ronnie Wolman 21/10/07
  64.   To all "multculturalists" 14:12  |  Ehud 21/10/07
  65.   BRITAIN HAS NO DEMOCRACY 14:14  |  Ian 21/10/07
  66.   To Arab 37 14:15  |  Castor Troy 21/10/07
  67.   To 48 14:19  |  Real European 21/10/07
  68.   Get out of England 14:48  |  Farc Fincoln 21/10/07
  69.   Get out of England 14:48  |  Farc Fincoln 21/10/07
  70.   Fscism in Britain 14:48  |  Ehud 21/10/07
  71.   Perhaps the Rabbi will now lose his good standing now 14:49  |  Tosefta 21/10/07
  72.   A Racist Rabbi 14:49  |  Paul 21/10/07
  73.   Ehud well said!!! 15:02  |  Ronnie Wolman 21/10/07
  74.   U.K. chief rabbi learns from Israel`s expereince 15:02  |  Val 21/10/07
  75.   Set an example 15:06  |  Truth 21/10/07
  76.   Paul from Canada 15:08  |  Ehud 21/10/07
  77.   Better late than never....? 15:09  |  Jean La Feet 21/10/07
  78.   MULTICULTURALISM.ignores Moslem attacks on Jews in Britain 15:19  |  PETER S.M. 21/10/07
  79.   To Paris and Danny 15:20  |  Serenity 21/10/07
  80.   To multiculturalist 45 15:21  |  Bones Apart 21/10/07
  81.   Negative Multiculturism? Dissolve the British Jewish Church! 15:28  |  Truth Approached 21/10/0