Quarter of Brits uneasy if liked one married Muslim – as MPs ‘whip up rhetoric’

More than 1 / 4 of individuals in Britain mentioned they’d be uncomfortable if a liked one deliberate to marry a Muslim, surprising polling has discovered.

Some 27% of individuals mentioned they’d really feel uneasy in the event that they have been in that place. It is greater than the 25% who mentioned they’d really feel uncomfortable if a relative or pal was planning to marry somebody of the same-sex.

Researchers mentioned the findings ought to be a “wake up call to politicians” that “anti-muslim and anti-semitic rhetoric” has “serious real world consequences”. The polling, from More in Common for the Together Coalition, discovered one in 5 (21%) folks maintain adverse views about Muslims.

Travellers have been the one group the general public was extra more likely to categorical such views about, with 31% admitting to adverse opinions. In comparability, 9% of individuals had adverse attitudes in the direction of Jews, 8% in the direction of Black African/Caribbean folks and seven% in the direction of Christians.

It comes as senior MP Lee Anderson was suspended from the Tory occasion final month after saying Sadiq Khan was managed by Islamists. Rishi Sunak mentioned Mr Anderson’s feedback have been “wrong” however that he was not “racist” and the occasion didn’t have an issue with Islamophobia.

In an emergency speech about extremism on Friday, the PM mentioned there was a “shocking increase in extremist disruption and criminality” and mentioned “our democracy itself is a target”. But he warned: “The faith of Islam, peacefully practised by millions of our fellow citizens is emphatically not the same thing as the extremist political ideology of Islamism.”

Luke Tryl, UK Director of More in Common, mentioned: “The anti-muslim and anti-semitic rhetoric that we have heard from some politicians in recent weeks has serious real world consequences. The findings should be a wake up call to politicians and wider civil society that they need to do more to tackle rather than inflame community divides.”

Julie Siddiqui, interfaith lead on the Together Coalition and Muslim commentator, mentioned: “Words have consequences and consistent anti-Muslim rhetoric by mainstream politicians has emboldened a sizable minority of the British public to admit having prejudiced views. When politicians whip up anti-Muslim rhetoric or struggle to even name the problem of Islamophobia and anti-muslim hate – we shouldn’t be surprised to see it embolden and inflame a prejudiced minority.”

Brendan Cox, co-founder of the Together Coalition, mentioned: “While there’s lots to fret about on this ballot, the optimistic information is that prejudice in the direction of any of the identification teams we examined was not held by a majority of the general public. Even Muslims – who have been one of many teams folks have been almost certainly to specific prejudice towards – have been seen positively or neutrally by 75% of the general public.

“Political events ought to keep in mind that tapping into prejudice is extra more likely to alienate the general public than win them over. Friday’s re-set speech from the Prime Minister confirmed that Downing Street additionally is aware of that being seen to indulge prejudice is a foul search for a PM who desires to win an election.”

More in Common interviewed 2,075 adults online in Great Britain February 23-27.