In a speech yesterday at Downing Street, British Prime Minister Tony Blair warned prospective immigrants that they must embrace British values if they want to join British society.  What values might those be?  Why, tolerance, of course.

The reason we are having this debate is not generalised extremism. It is a new and virulent form of ideology associated with a minority of our Muslim community. It is not a problem with Britons of Hindu, Afro-Caribbean, Chinese or Polish origin. Nor is it a problem with the majority of the Muslim community.

Blair went on to say that it would be useful for the British people to define "common values" all citizens are "expected to conform to":

When it comes to our essential values - belief in democracy, the rule of law, tolerance, equal treatment for all, respect for this country and its shared heritage - then that is where we come together, it is what we hold in common. ... The right to be different, the duty to integrate: that is what being British means. And neither racists nor extremists should be allowed to destroy it.

It would certainly be wonderful if most British Muslims believed in "democracy, the rule of law, tolerance, equal treatment for all."  Unfortunately they do not.   To be be a Muslim is to submit to the will of Allah as spelled out in the Koran, which for Muslims embodies the literal word of the Almighty.  By definition, those who don't agree are rejecting Allah and must be opposed.  Islam means many things, but "equal treatment for all" isn't one of them.

Tolerance, like all things, is good only in moderation.  I'm all for respecting other cultures.  The problem in Britain is that the intellectual elite, fueled by guilt over Britain's colonial past, has persuaded society that tolerance equals uncritical acceptance of other cultures, no matter how dysfunctional.  After all, what right do imperialist, racist Brits have to criticize the doings of Saudis, Pakistanis and Algerians?

As improbable as it seems, the academics and politicians who cooked up this intellectual hogwash have succeeded beyond their wildest dreams.  Britain has become a paradise for multiculturalists and immigrants seeking "respect." Of course, giving such respect means debasing one's own culture.  Ordinary Brits are not happy about this.  Not happy at all.  To avert popular unrest, the elites are starting to backtrack.

It will be interesting to see if the British can regain their cultural confidence.  They probably can do it, but it's going to take a great deal of willpower and determination.  Wish them luck.