Living Together Apart: British Muslims & Multiculturalism
Policy Exchange has released the results of a major new survey of the attitudes of Muslims in Britain and the reasons behind the rapid rise in Islamic fundamentalism amongst the younger generation. The authors of ‘Living Apart Together: British Muslims and the paradox of multiculturalism’ conclude that the growth of Islamism must be understood in relation to political and social trends that have emerged in British society and suggests that the way the Government is responding to Islamism is making things worse, not better.
Some highlights of the report are:
>> 74% of 16-24 years old would prefer Muslim women to choose to wear veil or hijab, compared to only 28% of 55+ year olds.
>> 7% of Muslims ''admire organisations like Al-Qaeda that are prepared to fight the West''. 13% of 16-24 years old agreed with this statement, compared to 3% of 55+ years old.
>> 59% of Muslims would like to live under British law, compared to 28% who would prefer to live under sharia; 37% of 16-24 years old would prefer to live under sharia, compared to 17% of 55+ years old.
>> 86% of Muslims feel that ''my religion is the most important thing in my life''.
Lead author of the report, Munira Mirza, said:
“The emergence of a strong Muslim identity in Britain is, in part, a result of multicultural policies implemented since the 1980s which have emphasised difference at the expense of shared national identity and divided people along ethnic, religious and cultural lines.”
