Teach Muslim women English - for their sake, not ours

David Cameron speaks with women attending an English language class during a visit to the Shantona Women's Centre in Leeds Photo: OLI SCARFF/AFP/Getty Images

“No one would expect or indeed want British Muslims, or any other group, to lay aside their faith, traditions or heritage. But they must not forget that for the child to prosper in Britain and to reach his or her full potential, he or she will also have to have fluent command of English.”

No, not David Cameron this week. Those are the words of John Patten, a Home Office minister under Margaret Thatcher in 1989. It is remarkable that we are still debating similar concerns, and especially the plight of the 22 per cent of Muslim women – almost 190,00 people – with little or no English.

And why should it just be Muslim women who have the opportunity to learn English? Why not anyone who lives in the UK and can't speak English

— Sayeeda Warsi (@SayeedaWarsi) January 18, 2016

Of course, some things have changed. Britain’s 2.7 million Muslims include 330,00 full-time students, 43 per cent of them female; 18 per cent of all British Muslims are studying, almost double the rate for the population at large. Many of the boys and girls Lord Patten worried about are on the way to successful professional careers.

But many are not. Perhaps the most shocking thing about Mr Cameron’s new figures is how they break down by age. More than half the 40,000 British Muslim women who cannot speak English at all are of working age, between 16 and 64.

These are not elderly grandmothers from the old country who never learned the words of their new home. These are younger women who could otherwise be enjoying all the benefits that work brings. Some 68 per cent of women who speak English fully are in work; but only 34 per cent of “non-proficient” speakers have jobs. And not only are those who work wealthier, they’re also healthier too. Low participation in the workforce is one reason only 22 per cent of Muslim women over 65 are in good health, compared to 47 per cent overall.