Britons are suspicious towards Muslims, study finds

The Telegraph ^ | 1/9/2010 | Jonathan Wynne-Jones

[bruinbirdman]

British public are concerned at the rise of Islam in the UK and fear that the country is deeply divided along religious lines.

More than half the population would be strongly opposed to a mosque being built in their neighbourhood, the study found.

The Finsbury Park Mosque, London

A large proportion of the country believes that the multicultural experiment has failed, with 52 per cent considering that Britain is deeply divided along religious lines and 45 per cent saying that religious diversity has had a negative impact.

Only a quarter of Britons feel positive towards Muslims, while more than a third report feeling “cool” towards them.

The findings, to be published later this month in the respected British Social Attitudes Survey, show that far greater opposition to Islam than to any other faith and reveal that most people are willing to limit freedom of speech in an attempt to silence religious extremists.

David Voas, professor of population studies at Manchester University, who analysed the data, said that people were becoming intolerant towards all religions because of “the degree to which Islam is perceived as a threat to social cohesion”.

He said: “Muslims deserve to be the focus of policy on social cohesion, because no other group elicits so much disquiet.”

The “size and visibility” of Islamic communities has led to serious concerns about their impact on British society, Prof Voas concludes.

“This apparent threat to national identity (or even, some fear, to security) reduces the willingness to accommodate free expression.

“Opinion is divided, and many people remain tolerant of unpopular speech as well as distinctive dress and religious behaviour, but a large segment of the British population is unhappy about these subcultures.”

Researchers interviewed 4,486 people for the survey, which is published annually by the

[The_Media_never_lie]

Now, why, pray tell would Brits be suspicious?

[skeeter]

Ya think?

[Publius6961]

Has anyone seen the link to the "Water is Wet" thread?

I don't have a life and lots of time to kill...

[granite]

Never mind.

[mbarker12474]

Brits are suspicious

No s***.

They just can't say so outloud because the leftist correctness gestapo might punish them for a hate speech crime.

[max americana]

lemme guess...the Brits are racist.(sarc/)

[blueplum]

“Muslims deserve to be the focus of policy on social cohesion, because no other group elicits so much disquiet.” well put. No other nation has had as much experience successfully integrating vastly diverse cultures, so if the Brits have given up, then that's it. It's over. Shut down the borders and start deporting like it's 1999.

[GeronL]

I don’t understand how this could have happened.

/sarc

[The_Media_never_lie]

Successfully resisted the German invasion to be invaded by....

[TNoldman]

I’m not suspicious - I know muslims are to be rejected.

[Eddie01]

Britons are losers. Britons have let themselves be taken over by the Devil.

What a loser country. If I was a Briton, I would kill myself before the shame of my flacid being was truely unveiled.

[oldplayer]

“Study Shows Britons are Suspicious of Muslims”

And studies show that I treat every gun as loaded. Safety first. After all, “if it saves just one life, it’s worth it.”

Oldplayer

[boomop1]

A dollar short and a day late, they are screwed.

[onyx]

That they are.

[D-fendr]

From Steyn's column::

"What did the Pantybomber have a membership card in? Well, he was president of the Islamic Society of University College, London. Kafeel Ahmed, who died after driving a burning jeep into the concourse of Glasgow Airport, had been president of the Islamic Society of Queen’s University, Belfast. Yassin Nassari, serving three years in jail for terrorism, was president of the Islamic Society of the University of Westminster. Waheed Arafat Khan, arrested in the 2006 Heathrow terror plots that led to Americans having to put their liquids and gels in those little plastic bags, was president of the Islamic Society of London Metropolitan University.