THE introduction of the European Convention on Human Rights in England and Wales, this week, is being seen as a positive and life-changing event and not only by the English legal system.

THE introduction of the European Convention on Human Rights in England and Wales, this week, is being seen as a positive and life-changing event and not only by the English legal system.

Dr Ghias-Ud-Din Siddiqui, leader of the Muslim Parliament, feels that 'whereas victims of racial incidents had recourse to law, (before the introduction of the convention) the same was not available to individuals who were victimised on religious grounds.'

Although some of the convention's clauses are a bit vague on some issues, it gives the concept of 'citizenship' a statutory form, which has the potential to excite and inspire feelings of rights and obligations, which apparently have not been heard of since the 17th century.

The Human Rights Act also makes the convention enforceable in English courts, without having to travel to Strasbourg or to wait a number of years for the case to be taken to the European Court of Justice in the first place.

The adoption of the convention therefore allows victims of religious discrimination speedy access to justice and protection from insidious discrimination on religious grounds. More importantly, the convention does not just provide protection from discrimination of a religious nature, but a victim can now take legal action if he or she feels that his or her family values are being affected by the action of someone else.

Even if no-one is taken to court for religious discrimination, at least there are warning signals to those who have used subtle, and in some cases not so subtle, approaches to override the feelings of religious minorities, as far as worship at the place of work, time off to celebrate religious events, or schools forcing children to wear a certain type of school uniform which may not sit easily with the religious beliefs of the child.

Ranjit Dheer, director of the Wycombe Race Equality Council, has also welcomed the adoption of the convention and the 'enshrining of personal freedoms, liberties and the protection for the fundamental human rights of belief and conscience, together with its ability to empower the ordinary people.'

MY own personal view, last week, that most of the Asian households have taken advantage of the digital revolution in television and have deserted terrestrial television in favour of satellite and cable television, has been confirmed this week by the annual research study for the Broadcasting Standards Commission. The study found that although the ethnic minority population of Great Britain is only 5.5 per cent, it accounts for ten per cent of the under-30s and 12 per cent of the under-fives. The study also finds that Asian viewers normally do not see their lives or issues, important to them, reflected in programmes broadcast by the BBC, ITV or Channels Four and Five, and yet they pay their licence fee like everyone else.