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Argument: Some nations find identity and pride in multicultural policies

Issue Report: Multiculturalism vs. assimilation

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  • Abdul-Rehman Malik. “Beyond formula: a civic multiculturalism”. Open Democracy. April 6th, 2007 – “When I grew up in Canada, multiculturalism wasn’t an ad-hoc policy of mismatched initiatives – it was a national religion. The inculcation was both positive (lessons in kindergarten that taught ‘Canada is like a tossed salad – lots of colours, languages and foods make us really tasty’) and negative (warnings about the American ‘melting-pot’ – where cultural identity disappeared in a stew of flag-waving patriotism). State-directed multiculturalism, backed by governments that dispensed millions to promote diversity, made Canadians unique and gave us something of a national identity.”