Islamophobia rising in UK: "Posh" people more prejudiced
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A University of Birmingham survey shows that 1 in 4 people in the UK have negative views toward Muslims, with people from middle and upper classes more likely to be prejudiced.
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Middle to upper-class people were found to harbor "prejudiced views of Islam"
A recent survey by the University of Birmingham shows that a quarter of people in the UK hold negative views about Muslims and Islam.
The study showed that people from the middle and upper-class occupational groups were "more likely to hold prejudiced views of Islam" than people from working-class occupational groups.
The survey, which was carried out in collaboration with YouGov, found that 23.2 percent of people who come from the social group ABC1 harbor “prejudiced views” about Islamic beliefs compared with only 18.4 percent of people from the C2DE group.
Moreover, more than 25% of participants in the survey had negative views about Muslims, while 10% felt "very negative". 1 in 5 people also supported banning "Muslim" migration to the UK, with 10% showing "strong support" for the idea.
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UK media anti-Muslim bias
Despite their strong views, British people acknowledged their ignorance of most non-Christian religions "with a majority stating they are ‘not sure’ how Jewish (50.8 percent) and Sikh (62.7 percent) scriptures are taught."
“In the case of Islam, however, people feel more confident making a judgment, with only 40.7 percent being unsure. This is despite the fact that people are much more likely to make the incorrect assumption that Islam is ‘totally’ literalistic.”
The least liked group, according to the survey, is "Gypsy and Irish travelers", against whom 44.6% of people had negative views.
British Tory MP says she was removed from position for being Muslim
Nusrat Ghani, a former minister in Boris Johnson’s Conservative government has claimed she was fired from her job as junior transport Minister due to her faith making colleagues “uncomfortable.”
Ghani reported that she was told by a "whip"- a person that enforces parliamentary discipline - that her "Muslimness" had been a topic of concern in her termination.
The Muslim MP said that she was told at the reshuffle meeting which preceded the formation fo a new cabinet in Downing Street that "that ‘Muslimness’ was raised as an ‘issue’, that my ‘Muslim women minister’ status was making colleagues uncomfortable."
"I will not pretend that this hasn’t shaken my faith in the party and I have at times seriously considered whether to continue as an MP (member of parliament)."
