PRESS RELEASE

1st November 2005
For immediate Use

Britishness Test "Not British Enough"

Reaction to Government's Planned 'Britishness Test' from Noble Khan, Cultural Awareness Training Company

Sadi Mehmood, a British born KashmiriMuslim and founder of Cultural Awareness Training company, Noble Khan, has reacted angrily to the Government's British Citizenship test for foreigners who wish to take up residence in the UK. Sadi believes the test ignores many of the most crucial grassroots issues immigrants need be aware of if they are to live and work happily within the UK.

"The questions in the test are what you'd expect from a TV game show rather than a state introduced test intended to familiarise people with British life and culture," she says. In the wake of the terrorist attacks in London, the Government has been obsessed with the need for immigrants to integrate, but what real relevance do any of these questions have to this end? The government also says it wants to increase the ethnic minority employment rate but none of these questions have any relevance to the realities of immigrants working in the UK. Immigrants new to the UK, especially those in work, are in for an enormous culture shock. This test will not help them overcome that shock."

Noble Khan has its own version of a 'Britishness test' contained in its British Culture Course, a programme aimed at helping Asians new to the UK integrate into British society. Sadi devised the course in response to problems her husband, a new UK immigrant, was having in his work at a major supermarket.

"His English was excellent, yet few people would talk to him," she says. "I went in to work with him, undercover, and realised it was because he couldn'
t join in conversations about sport, TV, shopping - all the usual workplace chit-chat. Noble Khan's British Culture Course covers all these areas in a practical way and the questions we ask in our test have far more relevance to learning needs of those who wish to take up residence in the UK. Unlike the Government's questions which you could answer from reading a few books, Noble Khan's test proves real dedication to learning about UK life."

Questions on the Noble Khan test include:

What are Halloween, Valentines Day and Bonfire Night?
In the workplace, explain what you need to do if you are going to be late (there is no protocol for this in Asian culture) What must you do before you can drive a car in the UK? (Many immigrants will not be aware of the need for insurance, tax, MOT, driving licence, etc) Name four types of household bills (many immigrants don't realise they have to pay these) Name five British football teams Name four British newspapers

"I'm as British as they come," adds Sadi, "yet I couldn't answer every question on the test. I don't think my lack of knowledge has prevented me from being a good British citizen and contributing fully to society and to the workforce."