London is alive. Like all metropolitan powerhouses, its streets host a unique cacophony of noises and a special blend of aromas. London is alive, and life is atomized into nine million moving parts that, together, make up one of the most culturally diverse cities in the world. I landed into the midst of this diversity a month ago, but I’ve quickly discovered that London’s supposed multiculturalism hides a different truth.
With over half of its population identifying as something other than “British” and over a third born outside the United Kingdom, it is no surprise that London is home to individuals from every corner of the globe. The British, and Londoners in particular, are incredibly proud of their multiculturalism and the freedom it represents for many people. In a place famous for its diversity, immigrants no longer feel like outsiders. Indian Hindus can go freely to worship at their temples, British Anglicans can enjoy a beautiful service at St. Paul’s, and Pakistani Muslims can build mosques close to their homes without a worry. Few global cities can boast an international repertoire as cheerful and colorful as that in London.
Like other Western powers, Britain has stood on the side of “progress,” moving with the current of globalization by welcoming diversity. It has invited and continues to invite immigrants to its shores, hoping to build a shining beacon of modernity: a society bound not by color and culture, but by liberalism and freedom.
British citizens and politicians alike praise the peaceful cohabitation of so many cultures and religions, citing London as this exemplary city of the future where different ethnicities live in harmony and tolerance is an undisputed expectation. This city, they insist, is proof that humans can shed their ethnic baggage and see each other as unique individuals bound by their shared desires to live and to practice, or not practice, their faiths in peace.
But beneath this rosy mirage, the truth is that London is actually an extremely segregated city. Last week, I visited a friend in South Tottenham, a residential neighborhood famous for its concentration of Orthodox Jews. The city’s black population remains heavily relegated to South London. Ethnic data maps reveal that London’s “British,” Anglican population resides overwhelmingly on the quiet outskirts of town. Put simply, London’s citizens live, work, and go to school in areas divided along clear ethnic lines.
In a city so indisputably segregated, tolerance is no more than indifference. Although the proximity of so many cultures may normalize citizens to the world’s different races and religions, it does little to teach true understanding. The racial slurs that I still hear uttered in the streets and the quiet gentrification of many suburban neighborhoods show that this “global metropolis” may be more “colorized” than it would like to admit. Londoners tolerate the presence of foreign religions, but there is little interfaith dialogue to foster real respect, understanding, or even appreciation.
Peace in this multicultural world will require an understanding deep enough to erase geographic boundaries. The Catholics, Muslims, and Hindus who ride the tube and walk side-by-side on the streets will have to live together, work together, and have their children go to school together to truly earn their city its reputation as a haven of multiculturalism.
On my daily commute through Central London, I pass a bustling kindergarten. The street on which it sits is always echoing with the shouts and laughs of children. As I walked past it this evening on my way home, I looked through the iron gates at the playground and the scene that met me brought a surge of hope. Three mothers were laughing, deeply engaged in an animated conversation, half watching as their daughters tied sneakers and picked up backpacks. A chattering pack of six, they walked out of the kindergarten, planning a playdate. I watched as hijab, dupatta, and blonde hair blew in the wind, moving down the street before finally disappearing around the corner. The stage has been set for meaningful dialogue, mutual understanding, and a multicultural oasis. Londoners need only to take the first step.