MOST British Muslims who took part in a survey agreed that Britain was a greater place by which to practise their faith and be a part of the broader community than most other European countries.
A survey of 1001 Muslims in England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland was conducted between 22 January and a pair of February by Techne UK, on behalf of the Institute for the Impact of Faith in Life (IIFL). The responses were analysed against a general-population survey, conducted concurrently, of 1012 respondents.
The findings were published this week. Of British Muslim respondents, 86 per cent agreed that living in Britain offered opportunities to progress in life, compared with 70 per cent of the overall population. An analogous proportion of British Muslims (83 per cent) agreed that the nation was a greater place than most European states by which to practise their faith while being involved in wider public life — rising to 87 per cent for Muslims living in London. More than half of the Muslim respondents felt a powerful sense of belonging of their area people.
More than two-thirds believed that folks had an obligation to marry and lift children to make positive contributions to society. This was compared with 43 per cent of the overall population. Three-quarters (75 per cent) of the Muslim respondents reported giving to charity previously 12 months, compared with 68 per cent of the overall population.
The findings, set out in a report by Dr Rakib Ehsan and Dr Jake Scott, are also based on 28 in-depth interviews, and ten case studies of British Muslim charities across the country.
Dr Ehsan, a senior research associate for IIFL, said that the findings showed that “the overwhelming majority of British Muslims imagine that their country is a land of opportunity and generosity. Their positive views should higher inform the national conversation on equality in modern Britain, which is increasingly dominated by tribal activists who thrive on the currency of victimhood. This must be a source of national pride in post-Brexit Britain.”
