Other polling shows 93% of Muslims felt they belonged to Britain and more Muslims feel proud to be British than the national average.Īlongside belonging, there is optimism: most (57%) believe that young Muslims will be more successful than their parents, many Muslim pupils are already outperforming peers at school, and far more Muslim parents (66%) thought it “very likely” that their child would go on to university to do a degree in the future, compared to the national average (38%).īut why is this the case? Why, despite the Islamophobia being faced, do most Muslims still feel like they belong and are optimistic about their future? The new Hyphen-Savanta Comres poll, corroborated by other research, also supports a more nuanced narrative: one that does not erase the institutional racism and barriers to equality facing Muslims, but instead acknowledges how despite the discrimination and these structural challenges, British Muslims are overcoming the odds, defying the stereotypes peddled by the far-right and their allies and instead respond with a sense of belonging and optimism.įor example, most Muslim respondents (53%) to the new poll said there is an improved acceptance of Muslims in the UK. These facts on the ground make up an important evidence-based narrative about the challenges facing British Muslims, and should not be overlooked. Of those canvassed for one poll, 22% would be concerned if a Muslim family moved in next to them. Britons are reportedly almost three times more likely to hold prejudiced views of Islam than they are of other religions, and conspiracy theories such as believing Muslim immigration was part of a wider plot to make Muslims the majority in Britain infect a sizeable minority of the country. Maybe these barriers are unsurprising given the racist views held by many when it comes to Muslims. Half of British Muslims face poverty, far more Muslims live in deprived housing conditions than the UK population average (35% v 13%) and Muslims are hugely over-represented in the criminal justice system: 15% of all prison inmates in England and Wales are Muslims, despite being less than 5% of the total population.
Let’s not even go into the media, where only 0.4% of British journalists are Muslim, and almost two-thirds of articles that mention Muslims or Islam paint them in a negative light.īut it’s not just employment, education, politics and the media – the structural challenges are even deeper.
Even those who succeed despite Islamophobic political campaigns end up facing Islamophobia in office, including Sadiq Khan, who needs 24/7 protection due to the “colour of his skin and the god he worships”. Or consider politics: whether it’s the rampant and institutional Islamophobia in the Conservative party or the (smaller albeit extremely serious) challenges in the Labour party, where more than one in four Muslim members of the party had directly experienced Islamophobia.
This was reiterated in responses to findings by Childline, where young Muslims had specifically reported being called “terrorists” and “bombers” by classmates.
Or consider the education system: a Department for Education study that showed 18% of the pupils polled in England have seen other children being bullied for being Muslim. Just having a Muslim name makes it less likely that you get a job, find a flat or even get insurance. And if you’re a black Muslim, the figure is 76%. Consider the workplace: a new Hyphen-Savanta ComRes poll shows that a staggeringly high 69% of UK Muslims have experienced some form of Islamophobia in the workplace.