Obviously, she's correct. I grew up in a home counties town with a very large 'islamist' population - as in, we had the most people who ran off to join isis in the UK at one point. I went to a grammar school, and was very 'lefty'. I absolutely believed in muticulturalism, and was of course proud of the fact I had 'friends' from different cultures. Proud of the fact I 'tolerated them'.
This was long before hijabs were really a thing and you wouldn't usually have been able to even tell someone was muslim until they told you. Nowadays the women shuffle along in burkhas or long black robes with only their faces uncovered. I no longer live there, but drive through occasionally as my father still lives in a nearby village. It's not safe nowadays though, especially for women, so I wouldn't ever think to stop. My old village is nicer than ever though, they've just installed a very smart new playground and the common's busier than ever. Awesome farm shop just down the road, and a great new coffee shop in the neighbouring village with yummy mozzarella and parma ham focaccias, and homemade brownies. Occasionally, there are even non-white people. So we can all feel terribly proud of tolerating them.
I think it was the grooming gangs that first made me question my 'multiculturalism is great' stance. When I remembered the gangs of immigrant men who would hang around the shopping centre, catcalling us, following us or shouting abuse at us. When we were 13/14, and in school uniform. I remembered some girls were known to hang around with these men, and we called them sluts. I remember one girl, again about 13/14, in her puffa jacket (don't know why I remember the puffa, other than I think we thought that was 'common' at the time). I remembered seeing her in the centre of a group of much older males of 'immigrant-origin'. The males were grinning and laughing. And she looked embarrassed. Probably because I sneered at her, as I thought she was a slut. I had no idea what was likely happening to her, or what 'slut' even meant. I just knew that it meant she was 'rough'.
I also remembered the muslim man (Zulf - cool name) I worked with, who was sweet and funny and charming, and very into aftershave so always smelt amazing. And who had two white girlfriends, one who he told he loved and wanted to marry, and was only delaying until his grandparents died as they were very old-fashioned. And he was being told by his parents he had to go to Pakistan to marry (he would have been late-mid 20s), and I laughingly asked if he was going to tell his adoring girlfriend. And he laughed back, and said "white girls are for fucking, but you've got to marry a muslim". And we both laughed. I'm a white girl.
And then I remembered that I lost touch with the bright, funny muslim girls (that I'd been so proud of being friends with) when we turned 17/18 and my white friends and I had discovered the pub. None of them went to university, they married young, and soon had children.
Finally, I remembered occasional women of 'immigrant origin' I'd encountered who I'd considered horribly racist, and certainly not the sort of people I'd want to be associated with. They grew up in these segregated 'communities' and gone through hell attempting to escape. They used the 'P' word and said that the only abuse they'd ever received was from these males who would abuse them verbally and physically and demand they put on some 'modest' clothing, and behave like proper muslims. They said they got away because they were fortunate enough to have fathers (not just mothers) who wanted more for them. I of course considered both their views and language extremely bigoted.
But now I've remembered, I don't believe in multiculturalism. I don't believe a society is just where a little girl can grow up in one house being told she can do anything at all and wear anything at all and be anything at all can live next door to a little girl who is told she must behave and dress in a certain way or she will bring shame upon the family, or be asking to be raped, or even murdered. I believe society is racist when we turn a blind eye to non-white parents treating their children in a way that would see white parents taken to court. I believe it is extremely dangerous when we are fine with millions of children (especially boys) being told that a female who does not 'cover herself' is a whore, a lesser being, who is asking for sex and should be treated with contempt. It seems very obvious when written down! And yet... it's contentious.
I have friends of all 'colours' who have been born and raised in Britain, or elsewhere, with absolutely no 'British blood'. And who are absolutely 100% British. Who, ironically, have (or their parents have) moved here because they wanted to get away from 'their own' culture, and embrace western values.
This is, and has never ever, been about skin colour. This is entirely about culture. And thank god we're waking up to it.
(Sorry for lecture! I've been waiting a long time to admit this, though still felt the need to change my name... TL;DR I agree with 'the friend', multiculturalism was always obviously bound to bring nothing but misery and horror.)