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The only Muslim Cabinet minister has said Britain should become more Christian.
Writing in The Telegraph, Baroness Warsi suggested it was ok for Christians to be proud of their religion and that having a strong faith identify could help people to better understand people of other faiths.
“We need to create a country where people don’t feel like they have to leave religion at the door. That means being proud of Christianity, not downgrading it,” she said.
“It means encouraging people to say that their faith inspires what they do. It means supporting religious charities in delivering public services in schools, hospices and rehabilitation.”
Lady Warsi’s message will be assuring to many Christians who have felt under increasing pressure in recent years to keep their faith private, while others have perceived a tendency towards respect for Muslims and intolerance towards Christians.
Lady Warsi suggested that Christians should not feel they have to water down their faith.
It would be a “mistake to assume that you compromise your identity the more you try to understand others”, she said.
“The stronger your understanding of your neighbour, the stronger your own religious identity becomes.
“For many years, I have been saying that the stronger we are as a Christian nation, the more understanding we will be of other faiths.
“It is why the Pope’s visit was so important for our country. And it is why I am proud that this year, for the first time, the Prime Minister held an Easter reception in Downing.”
Instead of a “conflict of loyalty” between different faiths, Lady Warsi spoke of her desire to see people of faith engage in dialogue with one another to challenge the “assumption that some people of some faiths can be trusted while others cannot”.
She said: “Take it from me: there is nothing incompatible about a world of many religions and a world of strong, vibrant nation states.”
