PRIME minister David Cameron has been called ‘discriminatory and divisive’ by a Bradford MP in response to his suggestion that Muslim women should learn English or face deportation.

But while some in the district have condemned his words, others have agreed with the sentiment.

David Cameron warned that not speaking the language adequately could make people "more susceptible" to the recruitment messages of groups like the self-styled Islamic State (IS) - though there was no "causal link".

But Councillor Faisal Khan said he found it "quite absurd" that Mr Cameron was pushing for improved language skills after his government had cut the funding for Esol (English for speakers of other languages).

He said: "The way Mr Cameron is linking this with an inflation in extremism threats, I am quite appalled by it.

"Obviously we want communities to be empowered but the way he has approached it demonises people.

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"He talks about people being backwards and mentioned a test for people, that's not the right language to use, it divides people.

"If he had simply said he was bringing back Esol and talked about the £20 million funding that would have been fine, but threatening people with deportation is really disappointing."

Naz Shah, the Labour MP for Bradford West, said: "On the whole I welcome David Cameron's idea of helping more women to learn English.

"I think his comments on deporting people if they fail a language test are not what he meant, that was just him pandering to certain groups.

"You cannot just pick someone up off of the street and deport them because they failed an English test, people have families and children.

"I think people need to learn and it is important that people learn English.

"If a mother doesn't speak English and her children do, she doesn't always know what they are saying or reading or learning at school or what they are experiencing both in and out of school.

"You need to have that relationship in families, so if mothers are improving their English so they can speak and bond with their children that can only be a good thing."

Conservative MPs Philip Davies and Kris Hopkins both expressed their support for Mr Cameron who pledged £20 million to help people in the UK to improve their English skills.

Mr Davies, MP for Shipley, said: "I agree with David Cameron, there is a massive issue not least in Bradford with too many Muslim women who cannot speak English and it is impossible for them to integrate into society.

"I also agree with David Cameron's point about deportation completely, because unless there is some sort of sanction to make people take English lessons nothing will change.

"If they want to come and live here they should learn the language and integrate into our values."

The Prime Minister suggested that after two-and-half years people who come to the UK to join their spouses will have to take a test, and if they fail "they can't guarantee they will be able to stay", even if they have children.

Mr Hopkins, MP for Keighley, said: "I have always believed that people living here should be expected to speak English, and there is a particular requirement for parents to take the lead on this; there are still homes across the country where English is rarely spoken and this can have a profoundly damaging effect on young children starting school.

"The £20m the Government has agreed to allocate will enable women unable to speak English to access classes, either through community groups or further education colleges; it is an initiative founded on common sense and should be widely welcomed."

However, Labour MP Imran Hussain, for Bradford East, said the announcement showed Mr Cameron's real personality.

"I believe that the funding should be there for all communities, and rather than offering sensible solutions to problems that affect non-English speakers of all faiths, the Prime Minister has revealed his true discriminatory and divisive nature,” he said.

He also condemned the Prime Minister for saying not being able to speak English could lead people to be more susceptible to radicalisation.

"By making utterly outrageous and unsupported claims that a lack of English language skills can drive Muslim women to radicalisation, he has harmed his own cause and has yet again further stigmatised Muslims, and in doing so has both antagonised and alienated communities,” Mr Hussain said.

Bana Gora, the CEO of the Muslim Women's Council based in Manningham, Bradford, also criticised Mr Cameron.

She said: "Whilst we welcome the additional funding pledged today, we do not agree with the assertion that there is a link between a lack of English and extremism, and David Cameron is conflating these two issues and further isolating the very same group of people that he is trying to reach and assist.

"The funding announced is also in fact a reduction in real terms as it was only six months ago that funding of £45m was cut for 47 colleges for ESOL courses by the Department for Business."

Ms Gora also criticised Mr Cameron for specifically targeting Muslims.

"The ability to converse in the English language should apply to all communities including Eastern Europeans and to single out Muslim women in this manner appears to be a lame attempt by this Government,” she said.

"The statements from this government continue to further demonise and marginalise the Muslim community and are counter-productive towards the stated aims of the government of a One Nation Britain."

Adeeba Malik from the QED Foundation, which helps migrants into work, also criticised the Prime Minister for singling out Muslim women.

"From our experience it’s not just Muslim women who need the lessons, men and Eastern Europeans need it too, not just Muslims,” she said.

"We have been helping women all over West Yorkshire in the last five or six years to improve their language skills and knowledge of living in this country."

Ms Malik also said she was struggling to understand Mr Cameron's point that not being able to speak English makes people more susceptible to radicalisation.

"I think if you look at cases in this country and analyse the people involved, in those cases how many of these people do you think cannot speak English? Hardly any."

Ishtiaq Ahmed, of Bradford Council for Mosques, said supported the view that people should be able to speak English if they lived in the UK, but criticised the Prime Minister for targeting Muslim women.

He said: "I have no difficulty with what David Cameron said about learning English, it is the expectation that if you live in a country you can speak the language and it helps people with social mobility, equal opportunity and having a better social life.

"But that should apply to all people, for Eastern Europeans to people coming from Africa.

"For him to target Muslim women and present Muslims as a special problem area and link it to radicalisation is very unfair on his part."

When appearing on the BBC Radio 4 Today programme, Mr Cameron said: "You have to be able to speak a basic level of English now to come into the country as a husband or wife, and you can't guarantee you will be able to stay if you are not improving your language.

"It is tough, but people coming from other countries have a responsibility to improve their English."

He also said that not being able to speak English may stop people from being able to integrate into society, making it hard for people to find their identity which could make them more susceptible to the extremist message.

A Department for Communities and Local Government spokesman: "The policy is in its early stages at the moment so we do not have any information about specific areas, but further details will be provided in due course."

Mr Cameron said: "You have to be able to speak a basic level of English now to come into the country as a husband or wife.

"You can't guarantee you will not be able to stay if you are not improving your language.

"It is tough, but people coming to our country have responsibilities; I'm not blaming people who can't speak English but where there is segregation it is holding people back, not in tune with British values and it needs to go."

The Government estimates there are 190,000 Muslim women in England who speak little to no English, and the Prime Minister said that this holds people back from being able to integrate into society which could lead to them becoming more susceptible to extremism.

"I am not saying there is a casual connection between not speaking English and becoming an extremist, that would be a ridiculous thing to say.

"But if you are not able to speak English, not able to integrate, you may find you have challenges understanding what your identity is and therefore you could be more susceptible to the extremist message."

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