Should homosexuality be illegal? Should wives always obey their husbands? And can a man have more than one wife? The most comprehensive survey of British Muslims ever conducted reveals controversial attitudes. Trevor Phillips argues that the time has come for a more muscular approach to integration.
As a doctrine of religious belief, Islam has never held any terrors for me. I was born in London but grew up in a developing country, now called Guyana, where one in 10 people worshipped Allah — roughly twice the proportion in Britain today. To me, the Muslims were just boys with names like Mohammed and Ishmael; in most things that mattered — could they play cricket or do calculus, for example — they seemed no different from the rest of us.
Liberal opinion in Britain has, for more than two decades, maintained that most Muslims are just like everyone else, but with more modest dress sense and more luxuriant facial hair; any differences would fade with time and contact. Britain desperately wants to think of its Muslims as versions of the Great British Bake Off winner Nadiya Hussain, or the cheeky-chappie athlete Mo Farah. But thanks to the most detailed and comprehensive survey of British Muslim opinion yet conducted, we now know that just isn’t how it is. [The Times (£)] Read more
