Author: Jason Groves
Publication: Daily Express
Date: January 27, 2008
URL:
http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/32867/Europeans-think-Islam-is-dangerous
An "overwhelming majority" of Europeans
believe immigration from Islamic countries is a threat to their traditional
way of life, a survey revealed last night.
The poll, carried out across 21 countries,
found "widespread anti-immigration sentiment", but warned Europe's
Muslim population will treble in the next 17 years.
It reported "a severe deficit of trust
is found between the Western and Muslim communities", with most people
wanting less interaction with the Muslim world.
Last night an MP warned it showed that political
leaders in Britain who preach the benefits of unlimited immigration were dangerously
out of touch with the public.
The study, whose authors include the former
Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey, was commissioned for leaders at the World
Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland.
It reports "a growing fear among Europeans
of a perceived Islamic threat to their cultural identities, driven in part
by immigration from predominantly Muslim nations".
And it concludes: "An overwhelming majority
of the surveyed populations in Europe believe greater interaction between
Islam and the West is a threat." Backbench Tory MP David Davies told
the Sunday Express: "I am not surprised by these findings. People are
fed up with multiculturalism and being told they have to give up their way
of life.
"Most people in Britain expect anyone
who comes here to be willing to learn our language and fit in with us."
Mr Davies, who serves on the Commons Home
Affairs Committee, added: "People do get annoyed when they see millions
spent on translating documents and legal aid being given to people fighting
for the right to wear a head-to-toe covering at school.
"A lot of people are very uncomfortable
with the changes being caused by immigration and politicians have been too
slow to wake up to that."
The report says people have little enthusiasm
for greater understanding with Islam and attempts to improve relations have
been "disappointing".
And with the EU Muslim population expected
to reach 15 per cent by 2025 it predicts: "Any deterioration on the international
front will be felt most severely in Europe."
But leading Muslim academic Haleh Afshar,
of York University, blamed media "hysteria" for the findings. She
said: "There is an absence of trust towards Muslims, but to my mind that
is very much driven by an uninformed media.
"To blame immigration is much harder
because the current influx of immigrants from eastern Europe are by-and-large
not Muslim.
The danger is that when people are fearful
of people born and bred in this country it is likely that discrimination may
follow."
