Sikh MP joins British parliamentary group against anti-Semitism and hate crime

"I think it's important that people of all races and of all faiths condemn anti-Semitism," Parmjit Dhanda tells 'Post.'

By JONNY PAUL, JERUSALEM POST CORRESPONDENT
Dhanda 224.88 (photo credit: Courtesy)
Dhanda 224.88
(photo credit: Courtesy)
A former cabinet minister and Sikh MP has been drafted into the All-Party Parliamentary Group against Anti-Semitism. Parmjit Dhanda, formerly community cohesion minister, agreed this week to join the parliamentary group to continue his hard work in combating anti-Semitism. As community cohesion minister, he published the government's "One Year On" report in May in response to the All-Party Parliamentary Inquiry into Anti-Semitism. It celebrated 14 key achievements and action plans from eight government departments. "I think it's important that people of all races and of all faiths condemn anti-Semitism, and I am committed to do that in as public a forum as possible," Dhanda told The Jerusalem Post. "I look forward to continuing my work in this area from my days as minister for community cohesion, as a member of the All-Party Parliamentary Group against Anti-Semitism." Born in London to Indian immigrants of Sikh origin, Dhanda said when presenting the May report that he was committed to taking "practical, effective action to stamp out anti-Semitism whenever and wherever it occurs." "We are committed to increasing the number of hate crimes brought to prosecution, tackling anti-Semitism on university campuses and challenging hate crime and extremism on the Internet," he said. During a debate in parliament in May, Dhanda showed what it meant to be from an ethnic minority. "As the Minister with responsibility for community cohesion, I sometimes ask myself whether I am the right person to be doing this job, bearing in mind that my parents are from India, that I was born in the West Midlands, that I represent Gloucester and support Liverpool football club in the Northwest and that I unashamedly failed the Norman Tebbit cricket test by supporting India against England at cricket - but perhaps that is representative of what it means to be British in the here and now." Following Dhanda's departure from government, Labor MP John Mann, chairman of the all-party parliamentary group, invited him earlier this month to become the latest member. "I would be delighted to join a group making real progress and combating anti-Semitism," Dhanda said. "It is something I was proud to champion in government and personally wish to continue." "We all welcome Parmjit Dhanda on board. His insight, thoughts and perceptions will bring a unique perspective that can only aid our work," Mann said. "On his watch, the government made considerable progress and outlined a future agenda to combat anti-Semitism in universities and on the Internet while securing better reporting and prosecution of hate crimes against Jews."