More Muslims identify themselves as British than rest of the population according to new survey

Thursday, 07 May 2009 12:07

According to a new survey by Gallup and the Coexist Foundation 77% of Muslims identify with the UK, compared to 50% in the rest of the population.

The survey also finds that 75 per cent of Muslims say they identify with their religion; 82 per cent of Muslims say they are loyal to the UK, although only 36 per cent of the general public would consider Muslims loyal to the country.

Only 12 per cent of Muslims believe that removing the veil is necessary for integration, compared with 53 per cent of the general public. Compare this to the 18 per cent of the public that said the same about removing the Sikh turban.

Muhammad Yunis, senior analyst at Gallup, said: 'British Muslims are more likely to identify strongly with their nation, and to express stronger confidence in its democratic institutions, while maintaining a high degree of religious identity.

‘British Muslims want to be part of the wider community and contribute to society however in many cases it is a harsh economic reality that holds them back and stops them from realising their full potential.'

It’s not only harsh economic realities that holds British Muslims back from realising their full potential, but also the media’s contribution, evidenced in the low figure of Britons that believe Muslims to be loyal to Britain, to the ‘othering’ of Muslims in Britain.

What better example of this than the way in which news of this survey has been covered in the Telegraph and in The Guardian.

While the Telegraph article features statistics relating to different aspects of the survey; attitudes towards loyalty, belonging, religious identity, trust in institutions, economic conditions and moral views, the Guardian article focuses almost exclusively on this final point; the conservative views held by Muslims in Britain compared to Muslims in France or Germany and the general population.

No mention whatsoever of the other findings of the survey. A bit odd, wouldn’t you say, and also quite disappointing that it is the Guardian that has covered the story in such a negative manner.

Read the full index here.