ISLAMIC STATE'S WAR AGAINST THE WORLD - THE NEED FOR A MORE SYSTEMATIC RESPONSE. PART 7.

For a society to be strong, prosperous and comparably contented, it is necessary for its people to generate and evolve a collective sense of having a 'common and shared national identity.' 

The constituent sections of their society, ethnic, linguistic, religious, et al, must be transformed into a common national culture.  

In such a way that it does not have the appearance of incongruity. But the substance of something with which all the citizens can ordinarily identify with, and feel a strong sense of pride. 

But this is not something, a destination which can be reached by chance. 

It has to be cultured, promoted and deliberately built. It is what 'nation building' is all about. 

And it does not happen by wishful thinking and uninformed criticism of which sections the society are 'integrating' and which are not. 

A more prudent question would be to ask, 'why are people not integrating, or integrating at the pace that some people would want; is it the normative tendency for it to be so?  

Which is why their has to be a deliberate process of integration. The citizens of the country do not have to all look alike and be of the same ethnic group.  

But it is essential that they are able to easily communicate and relate with each other. 

Have a strong sense of belonging to the country, to the nation and its common and shared customs and traditions. 

With it not having to be glaringly obvious that that citizen is 'Jewish', is a 'Muslim', or is a 'Christian', or is of 'Somalian' origin, or is an 'orthodox Muslim.'

It is difficult, if not impossible 'newer immigrants' to, say European countries, to identify with 'Christian Crusades', or 1066, or the Reformation.  

Or, in the case of the United States, the American Constitution. 

Seeing that these events are not part of their direct history. 

Indeed, it will be difficult for many of the original residents of these countries to identify with their own distant history. 

And let us be mindful of the fact that, for many of us, although our ancestors might have been living in country X for Y hundreds of years, we were, at a certain stage, all 'immigrants.'

This is why 'nation building, or rebuilding', should not and cannot be about jingoism, or nationalism. 

It cannot be successful, if it is predicated upon a country's distant history.  As many of its people, be they historical citizens or newer immigrants or the descendants of immigrants. 

They cannot 'feel' what has never been a part of them, without some kind of self-deception. 

In the main, nation building needs to be based on the 'here and now', as much as it needs to be a process and not an end in itself.

It is probably the case that, until we get to meet, socialise with and begin the process of knowing people.  

We tend to categorise and judge them according to their appearances and the stereotypical views or perceptions we have of them, and them of us.  

To be continued.