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MICHAEL HEAP

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INTEGRATION IN NORTHERN IRELAND

This paper first appeared in the Autumn 2022 issue of the 'Skeptical Intelligencer', pp 2-3.

From June 24 to 26 this year (2022), Humanists UK held their annual convention at the MAC in Belfast (note 1). This was their first live convention since 2019 and, as ever, it was informative and stimulating, with excellent speakers and discussions, covering an extensive range of topics of contemporary concern. One does not have to be a humanist or of no religious faith at all to engage positively in these events; most reasonable, open-minded people, whatever their beliefs, would feel at home in this environment.

One of the recurring themes of the convention programme was the social and political situation in Northern Ireland, particularly the sectarian divide. The impression I gained was that the terrible events of their recent history, prior to the Good Friday Agreement of 1998, fuel a powerful determination, noticeably on the part of younger people, never to return to 'the bad old days', but to move forward and create a progressive, vibrant, inclusive community. NI Humanists have been at the forefront of this movement and have campaigned successfully on several fronts-abortion, same-sex marriage, and inclusion of humanism in the schools' religious education curriculum to name but three. Another notable achievement is the legal recognition of humanist weddings, something that has yet to happen in England and Wales.

One event of particular interest to me was a panel discussion about NI schools. It remains the case that over 90% of pupils attend schools which are segregated along religious lines (Protestant or Catholic) and in 30% of schools there are either no Protestant or no Catholic children at all. Most of the NI population support integrated education, less so the influential sectarian bodies in charge. I was amused when one panellist informed us of one response of the latter to the charge that not enough was being done to promote integrated education: 'They all have the same Religious Education curriculum'.

Another presentation of special interest to me was by a panel of activists, each of whom is involved in cultural and artistic projects in their communities aimed at 'making the world just a little bit more kind, more rational, and more tolerant'. One of the speakers, a DJ named Holly Lester, is heavily engaged, with Boyd Sleator, the panel chair and Coordinator for Northern Ireland Humanists, in campaigning to boost the NI night-time economy, notably the popular music-and-dance scene. At present this is somewhat stifled by the strict licencing laws and inadequate night-time public transport.

You might wonder, as I did, how this venture could facilitate greater integration, harmony and mutual respect across the historical, cultural and sectarian divide that is still very evident in this part of the UK. All was revealed when this was explained by Mr Sleator, and for me this was quite a significant take-home message from the convention. Let me explain.

I have some involvement in Religious Education in England, both as a Humanist school speaker and a co-opted member of our local Standard Advisory Council on Religious Education (SACRE). One responsibility for SACREs is to construct an agreed RE syllabus for schools that takes into account the religious and cultural mix of the local population but, in line with Section 375(3) of the Education Act 1996, it must reflect 'that the religious traditions of Great Britain are in the main Christian'.

From my final day at school until my current involvement with SACRE I had little knowledge or experience of RE as taught in schools. In the 1950s and 60s, at least at the schools I attended, RE was called 'Scripture' and consisted almost entirely of Bible study. (In the sixth form we had some lessons from an RE teacher, a devout Christian, who endeavoured to inform us about other religions.) It is clear to me that the RE that is now taught in schools is different from that which was inflicted on my generation. The teaching is less doctrinal and pupils learn about the six major world religions (or more) as well as non-religious systems of belief, including Humanism.

These changes acknowledge two significant social trends which are reflected in the classroom. The first is much greater diversification of religions in the UK, mainly due to migration, and the second is the fact that an increasing proportion of the population as a whole now the majority-have no religious affiliation at all (note 2). The latter trend is most evident in children and young people, and hence in the classroom.

As a result, there has been a growing movement among those organisations concerned with the RE curriculum in both England and Wales (I can't speak for the Scottish or NI curricula) for any RE syllabus to give due emphasise to the individual nature of faith, belief and personal philosophy. In Wales the title 'Religious Education' has been replaced by 'Religion, Values and Ethics' and in England pressure is mounting in favour of 'Religion and Worldviews'.

Teaching children about the different religions and faiths that they are likely to encounter in their life, both socially and through the media, seems a very worthwhile endeavour, one that should assist in promoting mutual understanding among people from all varieties of ethnic and cultural backgrounds. But is it possible to overplay the role of RE at the expense of other ways of achieving the same?

I am a member of a small, city-wide interfaith group that organises talks by people of different faiths as well as occasional social events. I have also, for several years, worked as a humanist volunteer in chaplaincies in healthcare and higher educational and settings. In the latter capacity I have both organised and participated in projects encouraging interfaith dialogue and understanding amongst university staff and students. What I have learned from all of this is that people in general are not that interested in learning about other people's faiths. Hence, I cannot say that my own modest efforts in this direction have met with much success.

Having given more thought to this, I am not all that surprised. My own experience in life is consistent with the above conclusion. That is, I believe that in this country at least, other people's religion or faith tends to be viewed as a private matter and, if different to our own, to interrogate others directly about this would be considered impolite and intrusive. This is certainly how my generation was brought up: the two topics always to be avoided at the dinner table were politics and religion. And, if you do ask people (as I used to do in a professional capacity) whether they are religious, in many cases their answer will be no, and that religion isn't something that they bother much about.

So maybe formally learning about the various faiths and beliefs isn't the most important way of promoting acceptance and harmony among people from differing ethnic and cultural backgrounds. If so, we must be cautious about the idea that this can be largely achieved amongst young people through the RE curriculum.

Let's now return to the campaign on behalf of NI's nightlife and its significance in promoting integration in the community. During the conference, we heard from several speakers how members of the NI public are often asked, for various administrative purposes, to identify their religious allegiance-Protestant, Catholic or (in recent years) 'Other'; and how, in the absence of an answer, a good guess can be made from the person's name, where they live, what school they attended or are attending, and even what sports they play. But, as Mr Sleator explained during the panel discussion, if there is one context in which sectarian identity does not matter, especially with young people, it is listening to music and dancing at nightclubs, concerts, raves, and so on.

We can generalise from this and say that real, effective integration happens quite naturally among people from different cultures and communities when they forget their differences and come together to do things that they all enjoy or that are otherwise important in their lives. In doing so they may discover how much they share ideas, values, likes and dislikes, fears, aspirations, and so on. This has certainly been my own experience.

Social psychologists, such as the late Henri Tajfel, have effectively demonstrated that simply separating people into groups and labelling them according to group membership may create prejudicial behaviour and conflict. So, while learning about other people's religious beliefs and practices is a laudable pursuit, it seems that the most effective means of promoting harmony within diversity is enabling people to come together to engage in normal social activities and feel part of one common community, without having to think about their own and other people's faith, ethnicity and cultural background.

Notes

  1. https://tinyurl.com/2yyaapt5
  2. https://tinyurl.com/2xuz52du