Richard Lionheart, the Crusader King

Richard Lionheart, the Crusader King

What do British Muslims think?

Trevor Phillips has made a documentary delving into the beliefs of Muslims living in Britain. Politicians speak a lot about how important integration into society is when it comes to immigration.

Certainly, a big part of integrating into a society is taking on the set of beliefs of that society. After all, the beliefs and values form a great part of a country’s culture.

If the British wish to maintain their culture despite immigrants forming a large group of their population, it is critical that these immigrants accept and move towards British beliefs.


The Statistics

In Britain, there are a 100.000 muslims with sympathy for suicide bombings and violent acts. That is three times as many as there are people in the Belgian armed forces.

21% of muslims never visit the home of a non-muslim. And 21% of muslims visits the home of a non-muslim once a year or less. That is nearly half of the Muslim population in the United Kingdom that lives their lives fully separated from the native population. Other statistics often claim this number is a lot lower, because more Muslims say that they have interaction with non-Muslims on a regular basis. However, this interaction is often limited to the workplace.

Difference in Ages

There is no difference between age groups. Let’s be clear on this. There is a commonly held belief that young Muslims are adapting. There is a belief that the more radical ideas are limited to the older generations.

The statistics in the documentary show that this is not true. Young Muslims hold these ideas to the same extent. In other words, there is no change taking place.

Mocking the Prophet

Of British Muslims 87% says it should not be allowed to make fun of the prophet. Moreover, 18% support violence against those who mock the prophet. These are incredible numbers with a huge impact on free speech.

Imagine asking Christians in Europe the question if it should be allowed to make fun of Jesus. Apart from a few that would consider it poor manners, hardly anyone would consider making it a crime. In fact, mocking Christianity and Jesus is a fairly common theme among comedians. Yet Muslims go one step further, with nearly 1 in 5 stating violence is acceptable in that case.

How many Muslims in the United Kingdom were content after the attack on Charlie Hebdo? Have a look at the full documentary below, to get a better understanding of how problematic integration into society has been for British  Muslims. The idea that people with such different beliefs can live peacefully among one another is completely new. Sweden is facing similar issues.