Author: ANI
Publication: DNA India
Date: January 10, 2010
URL: http://www.dnaindia.com/world/report_majority-of-brits-concerned-over-rise-of-islam-in-uk-study_1333040
A major study conducted by Britain's National
Centre for Social Research has found that only a quarter of the locals feel
positive towards Muslims.
The findings, which will be published later
this month in the respected British Social Attitudes Survey, show that the
British public is concerned at the rise of Islam in the UK and fear that the
country is deeply divided along religious lines.
The study also found that more than half of
the population would be strongly opposed to a mosque being built in their
neighbourhood.
David Voas, professor of population studies
at Manchester University, who analyzed the data, said that people were becoming
intolerant towards all religions due to "the degree to which Islam is
perceived as a threat to social cohesion".
"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," The Telegraph quoted Voas, as saying.
"This apparent threat to national identity
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," he added.
The report further found that respondents
with no qualifications were twice as likely to have negative attitudes towards
Muslims as with those who had degrees, and also described a high level of
unease regarding the UK's Muslim population, estimated at around two million,
with many people considering that it poses a threat to the nation's identity.
