Almost a third of UK adults think Islam encourages Muslims to carry out acts of violence against non-Muslims, a survey suggests. It found nearly half (48 per cent) think the religion is ‘incompatible’ with British values.
The poll, which questioned 2,077 people of different ages, genders and regions, showed how ‘misunderstood’ the religion is in the UK, said the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.
Two thirds (67 per cent) of the public agreed most Brits have a negative view of Islam, while 58 per cent believe Islamophobia is widespread in the UK. The results come as the country’s largest Muslim convention, the Jalsa Salana, will take place on Friday in Hampshire with more than 30,000 expected to attend. [Metro.co.uk] Read more
Half Of Brits Think Islam Is Incompatible With UK Values, Survey Finds
Islam is “misunderstood” in the UK with nearly half of adults feeling the religion is “incompatible” with British values, a survey suggests.
Results of the poll carried out on behalf of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community also indicate almost a third of adults think Islam encourages Muslims to carry out acts of violence against non-Muslims.
The news comes as the country’s largest Muslim convention, the Jalsa Salana, is set to take place on Friday in Hampshire with more than 30,000 people expected to attend.
he survey said it questioned 2,077 UK adults of various ages and genders living in different regions of the country between July 12 and 14 to gather the results, which suggest:
# Most of the adults questioned, 58%, believe Islamophobia is widespread in the UK.
# Nearly half, 48%, believe Islam is incompatible with British values.
# Almost a third, 29%, think Islam encourages Muslims to carry out acts of violence against non-Muslims.
# Two thirds, 67%, of the public agree most people in the UK have a negative view of Islam. [The Huffington Post UK] Read more
Radio 4’s ‘Sunday’ on Islamophobia
…. I found a segment which took in all these topics on Radio 4’s Sunday programme very frustrating. Its starting point was a recent poll which found that nearly half of people in the UK think Islam is incompatible with British values; the two guests were Khalil Yousuf and Miqdaad Versi.
The inclusion of a more dissenting voice – maybe Maajid Nawaz or Amina Lone – would have forced both men to grapple more directly with the reasons for those poll results. The conversation might have been more challenging for them – but could have been used to demonstrate the complexities which those most hostile to Islam may not acknowledge. For as things stood, this feature would have done nothing to shift the views of an Islamosceptic listener.
Yousef is an Ahmadi Muslim, and this was the first elephant in the room. The Ahmadi are targets of sectarian bigotry and persecution, and the MCB, of which Miqdaad Versi is the assistant secretary general, has been criticised for refusing to recognize them as Muslims.
…. By asserting that ‘Islam has nothing to do with extremism’ Yousuf effectively cut off what could have been a more useful – if less comfortable– conversation, one which acknowledged that there is a clear tradition of interpreting Islam in ways which could (certainly) be characterised as extreme, but also countervailing traditions and more liberal readings. Because the guests were silent on these issues, hostile listeners would have filled in the gaps for themselves and felt their prejudices were confirmed. [Harry’s Place] Read more
Islam Surveyed 