Being a proud British Muslim from Birmingham is not a contradiction. It is a strength. Our shared values are what hold us together.
I am a proud British citizen. I am a proud Muslim. I am a proud son of Alum Rock. None of those identities is in tension with the others. They are layers of the same life.
Britain at its best is a country that lets people be all of who they are — to keep faith, family and culture, while also belonging fully to a shared national story. Respect, the rule of law, democracy, freedom of belief, looking out for one another: these are values I was raised on, and they are values I have seen lived out in every community across our city.
We strengthen British identity when we live those values together — not when we use them as a stick to beat each other with.