A shared future (Derry Journal)

EDITORIAL
5 February 2010

Sectarianism is, without doubt, the biggest single obstacle to progress and the creation of a democratic and prosperous society in Northern Ireland.

Whether in the form of rioting in North Belfast or cowardly attacks on people and property in Derry, sectarianism is a legacy of bitterness and division.

People must recognise that the failure to confront sectarianism has led directly to the present unprecedented levels of bigotry, hatred and intolerance which dominate so much of our lives and threaten all our futures.

The suffering and human misery which it has extracted and continues to extract from our people cannot be underestimated.

The scale of the problem of sectarianism is not fully appreciated. Take, for example, the housing situation. Thirty years ago there were significant mixed residential areas. Now the trend is towards single religious areas.

Numerous studies carried out by academics point to the predominance of sectarian attitudes and stereotypes throughout society.

But more worrying still has been the strength of sectarian attitudes and prejudice among young people, even four to five-year-old children as some studies have shown.

Unless urgent steps are taken to resolve the present malaise, the cancer of sectarianism will continue to eat away at society.

At the very heart of this is the question: what sort of society do we want to be?

We have a stark choice: a society divided permanently with a continuing legacy of hatred and bitterness or a society united as a common people with shared beliefs.

The only choice we have is the latter and to achieve this will require a fundamental change. However, the question is: do we have the will to do so?

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