Nat: What d'ya reckon people mean when they say certain religions don't really belong in Britain? Y'know, only traditional British religions belong here....

John: Hang on, what is a traditional British religion?

Nat: Well, Christianity I guess.....

John: And Jews?

Anand: Them too.

John: But loads of people don't care about religion. If they do a hymn in assembly, nobody knows the words, and if they do a prayer most people don't take it seriously

Anand: That's the point. These days it's well out of order to say just one religion is the proper British one. It's just an excuse to be prejudiced.

John: Most white people don't follow religion anyway.

Anand: And some people think because they're not religious then I shouldn't be, and if I am then it's got to be a religion chosen by them. Great. If a white person becomes Muslim, no-one says 'You've got to leave the country now because Islam is not British'.

Nat: But I mean, it's not just religion is it? It's other things like clothes. Like some people say 'Why don't all these Asian people dress like British people and eat British food?'

John: But where do you draw the line? Ban Indian or Chinese restaurants? Or maybe the restaurants are okay so long as the waiters only eat English food at home?

Anand: Yeah, we could have special police to check up on home cooking! Then we could be sentenced to a year in prison for eating our own ethnic group's food!

Nat: I guess you couldn't stop white people from making curry - it is their country isn't it.... But then that would mean British curries are OK, but Indian curries aren't!

Anand: So you could eat Chinese food at home Nat, but Tzu Lee couldn't.

Nat: Are you suggesting there's something going on between me and Tzu Lee?

Anand: Yeah yeah, I know you're just friends. Anyway, I don't believe if you act British there won't be any prejudice. Indian shopkeepers act British, they work, they do business, but they still get hassled.

Nat: Yeah. My Mum's Christian, eats British food, wears European clothes, but people still say 'Why don't you back where you came from?' Just 'cos you act British, it doesn't stop people harassing you does it?

Teacher: Stop talking at the back!

John: Can't talk about religion in a RE lesson! What a school!

John txt 2 Nat: TTYL when we R F2T