Prepositions
are words that link nouns, pronouns and phrases to other words in a sentence. Prepositions fall into four categories. They are time, direction, location,
and position prepositions. Besides, prepositions
are sometimes so closely linked to other words that they almost act as one
single word. This is the case when prepositions are used alongside certain
nouns, adjectives and verbs. This time I try to
find out and analyze the use of prepositions in an article which is entitled Cameron backs Pickles’ letter to Muslim leaders. The
analysis of prepositions will be discussed below:
Cameron backs Pickles’ letter
to Muslim leaders
David
Cameron has said it was right for Eric Pickles to write a letter to Muslim
leaders in which he asked them to “explain and demonstrate how faith in Islam
can be part of British identity”. In a letter
sent to more than 1,000 Islamic leaders,
Pickles stressed that he was proud of the way Muslims in Britain had responded
to the Paris terror attacks, but said there was more work to do in rooting out
extremists and preventing young people from being radicalised.
In the
letter, co-signed by the Muslim peer and communities minister Lord Ahmad,
Pickles said radicalism “cannot be solved from Whitehall alone” and stressed that
everyone had a responsibility to fight extremism. The Muslim Council of Britain
(MCB) raised objections to their community being singled out. But Cameron said
the letter clearly showed that Pickles was saying “British Muslims make a great
contribution to our country and that what is happening in relation to extremist
terror has nothing to do with the true religion of Islam and is being perverted
by a minority that is being radicalised”.
“Everyone
needs to help with dealing with this problem of radicalisation and anyone
frankly reading this letter and who has a problem with it, I think really has a
problem. I think it is the most reasonable, sensible, moderate letter that Eric
could possibly have written. “All of us have a responsibility to try and confront
this radicalisation, and make sure we stop young people being drawn into this
poisonous, fanatical death cult that a very small minority of people have
created.”
In
the letter Pickles wrote: “You, as faith leaders, are in a unique position in our
society. You have a precious opportunity, and an important responsibility, in explaining and demonstrating how faith
in
Islam can be part of British identity.” Harun Khan, deputy secretary
general of the MCB, said: “Is Mr Pickles seriously suggesting, as do members of
the far right, that Muslims and Islam are inherently apart from British
society?”
He
said he was writing back to Pickles to demand an explanation for the apparent
assumptions made. The letter continued: “We believe together we have an
opportunity to demonstrate the true nature of British Islam today. There is a
need to lay out more clearly than ever before what being a British Muslim means
today: proud of your faith and proud of your country. We know that acts of
extremism are not representative of Islam, but we need to show what is.
“We
must show our young people, who may be targeted, that extremists have nothing
to offer them. We must show them that there are other ways to express disagreement,
that their right to do so is dependent on the very freedoms that extremists
seek to destroy. “We must show them the multitude of statements of condemnation
from British Muslims, show them these men of hate have no place in our mosques
or any place of worship, and that they do not speak for Muslims in Britain or
anywhere in the world.
“Let
us assure you that the government will do all we can to defeat the voices of
division, but ultimately the challenges of integration and radicalisation
cannot be solved from Whitehall alone. Strong community-based leadership at a
local level is needed.”
The
letter said: “British values are Muslim values”, and the country would be
diminished without Islam and its “message of peace and unity”. “Every day,
mosques and other faith institutions across the country are providing help for
those in need, and acting as a centre for our communities. It is these positive
contributions that are the true messages of faith and it is these contributions
that need to be promoted.”
Ahmad
said the MCB’s response was disappointing, adding that perhaps Khan was not
clear about what the letter said. “The letter could not have been more
explicit” that the government regarded Muslims as part of British society,
Ahmad said, adding the letter was designed to reassure the Muslim community. He
insisted the best way to deal with the language of hate was education and a
coming together.
“This
was about reassurance, it was about recognising, as [the home secretary]
Theresa May said only yesterday, that a Britain without Muslims, a Britain
without Jews, Hindus, would not be the Britain we want to see,” he said on BBC
Radio 4’s Today programme on Monday. Lord Sacks, the former chief rabbi, said
he could understand the reason Muslim leaders might be asking why the
government was putting the blame on the community when radicalised Islam was a
global phenomenon transmitted by the internet and social media.
He
said he was sure the letter was well intentioned, but it “suggested the Muslim
community within Britain contained its own radicals, and the truth is that
Islamism, like all modern global political movements, is actually a global
phenomenon transmitted by the internet and transmitted by social media, so I
would be surprised if the Muslim community did not say: ‘You are asking of us
something that is not actually under our control.” But he said he did not
believe the Muslim community had done enough to ensure the teaching in its
schools and mosques emphasised the need to integrate with British society in
the same way as the Jewish community had in the 19th century.
Explaining
how much had been done to integrate Jewish society in the UK through teaching
in seminaries, he said: “I don’t think that has been done with other ethnic
minority communities. Radicalised imams have in the past been preaching a
message of hate.”
He
admitted that fear of attacks in the Jewish community was “at an all-time high
so far as my lifetime is concerned. At the same time the most recent survey
shows the overwhelming number of Jews here feel safe and Britain remains one of
the most tolerant societies on Earth.” He insisted the Jewish community was
well prepared and things were under control.
News
of the letter emerged as the Metropolitan police announced that it had
increased security around its buildings and bolstered the number of firearms
officers available. May also promised to increase the government’s efforts to
tackle the terrorist threat and a “chilling” rise in antisemitism.
DISCUSSION:
1.
....he asked them to
“explain and demonstrate how faith in Islam can be part
of British identity. (paragraph 1, line 2)
Analysis:
-
The preposition “in” in the sentence above is used to indicate a belief à in
Islam
-
The noun “part” has particular
preposition which normally follow it, that is, the preposition “of”
à part
of
2. ...Pickles
stressed that he was proud of the way Muslims in Britain...(paragraph
1, line 4)
Analysis:
- The
adjective “proud” has particular preposition which normally follow it,
that is, the preposition “of” à proud of
- “in” denotes preposition of location or
place à in Britain
3. ...Pickles said
radicalism “cannot be solved from Whitehall alone”...
(paragraph 2, line 2)
Analysis:
- “Solved
from” are verb and preposition. If we use the verb “solve”and a preposition after it, we should use the preposition “from” because “solve from” is a sequence verb and preposition which are normally
used.
4. ...that
their right to do so is dependent on the very
freedoms...(paragraph 6, line 3)
Analysis:
- “dependent
on” are adjective and preposition. "dependent" is normally paired of the preposition "on"
5. ...that
they do not speak for Muslims in Britain or anywhere in the world. (paragraph
6, line 6)
Analysis:
- “in” denotes
preposition of location or place.
6. Every
day, mosques and other faith institutions across the country are
providing help for those in need (paragraph 8, line 3)
Analysis:
- “across”
in the sentence above is a preposition not an adverb. It is because “across”
is followed by noun “the country”. “across” in here denotes
preposition of direction.
7. ....he said on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme
on
Monday. (paragraphh 10, line 3)
Analysis:
- “on” denotes preposition of time à
on
Monday
8. ...why the government was putting the
blame
on the community...(paragraph 10, line 5)
Analysis:
- The “the
blame on” are article +
noun + preposition. We can see
that "the
community" is the object
of preposition. Hence, it is obvious that "on" in the sentence above functions as preposition. Then, the word "blame" is usually paired of the
preposition "on" if we would like to use a
preposition after it.
9. You
are asking of us something that is not actually under our control.
(paragraph 11, line 5)
Analysis:
- “under”
denotes preposition of position.
10. .... the Jewish community had in the 19th
century. (paragraph 11, line 8)
Analysis:
- “in” denotes
preposition of time.
11. Explaining how
much had been done to integrate Jewish society in the UK through
teaching... (paragraph 12, line 1)
Analysis:
- “in” denotes
preposition of place or location à in
the UK
- “through”
denotes preposition of direction.
12. At
the same time the most recent survey shows the overwhelming number
of Jews...(paragraph 13, line 2)
Analysis:
- “at” denotes
preposition of time.
- “number
of” are noun and preposition. The noun “number” has particular
preposition which normally follow it, that is, the preposition “of.”
13. ...that
it had increased security around its buildings....(paragraph
14, line 2)
Analysis:
- The preposition “around” in the sentence
above indicates the central part that the security had increased à around its
buildings. It means that the preposition "around" denotes
preposition of direction.
