Recent terror attacks make nearly 50 per cent of English people more suspicious of Muslims
Categories: Latest News
Thursday August 31 2017
Although generally England is becoming more tolerant and open of people from different backgrounds, a major new study reported by the Independent has shown that ¼ of English people view Islam as a ‘dangerous’ religion.
Particularly following the string of terror attacks in Westminster, Manchester, and Borough Market, 42 per cent of people reported being less trusting of the Muslim community within the UK, while 52 per cent of people feel that the religion of Islam is a threat to the Western world.
¼ of English people expressed feeling that Islam is a religion that incites violence, with the elderly age group tending to hold more Islamophobic views, according to the poll conducted and published by the advocacy group HOPE not Hate.
This increase in fear and attitudes of distrust were found despite the overall increase in positive attitudes towards diverse communities within the UK, with 39 per cent of the population having a liberal outlook – a 17 per cent increase from six years ago.
The study conducted asked a list of 140 questions regarding current events to over 4,000 English people, and reported that although the general attitude towards individuals of different backgrounds is improving, specific feelings towards other racial and religious groups are becoming more polarised.
Since Brexit, the views towards immigration have become more positive, with over 50 per cent of participants feeling that immigration is good for the country, which is a 15 per cent increase since 2011.
Following the increase in fear and suspicion of Muslims in Britain, Rosie Carter, co-author of the report told The Independent:
“The picture we got from the report is worrying. It shows that this is a country that’s quite tense and there’s a lot of concern about differences.
“These negative attitudes improved quite a lot between 2011 and 2016, but we’ve seen a reverse in the past year. And it’s very divided: among the most liberal group 84 per cent would reject the association of Muslims with extremism, but around the same proportion of the least tolerant group would say that association is OK.”
Findings obtained by The Independent showed that hate crimes towards religious and racial groups increased drastically the year following the Brexit vote, rising by 23 per cent when compared to the same period the year prior.