Ethnic minorities could be given new titles in order to strengthen their sense of identity with Britain. The government is considering whether hyphenated U.S.-style titles such as Asian-British or Indian-British might be welcome by communities as part of a drive to increase the sense of social inclusion. Home Office Minister Hazel Blears told the BBC Monday that the move was among a “range of ideas” being discussed with Muslim and other groups. Blears, head of a government commission on integrating minorities, told the Times of London the use of terms such as Italian-American or Irish-American in the United States was “quite interesting.” “I think it’s really important, if you want a society that is really welded together, there are certain things that unite us because you are British, but you can be a bit different, too.” However Iqbal Sacranie, secretary-general of the Muslim Council of Britain, said similar efforts in the past had failed. “What of the second generations• Why should they be defined as other than British?” he said. © Copyright 2005 by United Press International

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