.... For example, a poll last year revealed that 60% of 18- to 24-year-olds in Britain thought the public had a negative image of Muslims, while 44% said Muslims did not share the same values as the rest of the population. More than a quarter distrusted Muslims, believed Britain would be better off with fewer of them, and thought Islam was not a peaceful religion. Less than a third believed Muslims were doing enough to tackle extremism.
A reaction to such negative perceptions is the constant need to reassure the public that the vast majority of British Muslims are "decent, law-abiding citizens". For example, words to that effect were repeated ad nauseam on the BBC's Question Time last week.
It should be a given that British Muslims are decent and law-abiding. The intention behind pointing this out is good, but the result is patronising. The majority of every religious community in Britain is decent and law-abiding, but it is only Muslims about which constant reassurances need to be given.
[A COMMENT] I find it annoying when you are trying to denounce radical Islam, you are often met with 'not all Muslims are terrorists'. I'm aware of that, but what are you going to do about the ones that are radical.
[ANOTHER] Jihad is only one of many issues that the average Briton has with Islam. The total intolerance of any minority exhibited inmost Islamic countries probably disturbs people just as much whether it's the murder of Christians in Egypt, kidnapping of schoolgirls in Nigeria, denial of education to girls in Afghanistan and Pakistan, denial of careers to women in Saudi, death sentences for supposed adulterers in Sudan, "honour" killings and forced marriage just about anywhere, etc, etc.
These actions are not compatible with the current British value system and there are many within the British Muslim community who want to change the value system rather than their own behaviour and the majority of Britons find that unacceptable.
[ANOTHER] So, the proportion of muslims is effectively higher than you're suggesting, and it is predictable that we're heading towards civil war. The fact that most muslims are perfectly nice people is neither here nor there.
Ultimately they'll rally as an umma and the UK will cease to be a secular democracy and will become hell. [Guardian Cif] Read more
