This week we have witnessed a very public debate over the questions of permanent residency and pension rights for Gurkhas, some 36,000 of whom serve in the British Army.

Race relations and immigration has for some years been one of the public's greatest political concerns: after the economy and crime, they are now the third most important issue facing Britain, cited by 25 per cent of respondents in Mori polls, with concern over race relations/immigration even greater in almost every month since January 2003, reaching as high as 46 per cent in December 2007.†

One of the key features of the integration debate revolves around the compatibility of religion and national identity. It is often assumed that in a modern, secular Europe, a strong religious identity is anachronistic and presents a daunting obstacle for the full integration of religious minorities. Although only a minority believe that religious "otherness" represents a threat, a new survey by Gallup reveals that the British public is significantly more likely than their Muslim counterparts to think that people with different religious practices from theirs threaten their way of life.‡

The Gallup Coexist Index 2009: A Global Study of Interfaith Relations, Figure 13

The truth, however, seems to be that integration should be focusing on economic opportunity rather than religious issues. On the one hand, British Muslims identify more with the nation where they live than do non-Muslims (77 per cent of Muslims, compared with just 50 per cent of non-Muslims). This is consistent with previous research indicating that 51 per cent of ethnic minority Britons describe themselves as British, compared with 29 per cent of whites. In contrast, 70 per cent of whites describe themselves as primarily belonging to one of the United Kingdom's four constituent nations, compared with just 14 per cent of minority ethnic groups.

One the other hand, a disproportionately low number of British Muslims are employed (just 38 per cent say they have a job, compared with 62 per cent of the British public) and less than a quarter (24 per cent) believe volunteering in organisations that serve the public is necessary for integration, compared with about two-thirds (64 per cent) of the general public.

The UK in the 21st century is very different to ancient Israel but there are principles in the Old Testament teaching on ‘immigrants’ that are still applicable. Like the foreign-born gērîm who lived alongside the Israelites as fellow countrymen, immigrants who respect our culture should also be welcomed, treated as equal citizens, and helped to assimilate.

For more on all these issues, watch out for Votewise Now! later in the year, the completely new edition of our general election guide Votewise.

† Ipsos MORI: The most important issues facing britain today

‡ The Muslim West Facts Project: The Gallup Coexist Index 2009

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