Elham Asaad Buaras

British Muslims are family-oriented, happier than their counterparts in other European countries and view Britain as a land of opportunity, according to research findings released on March 5.

Even with the positive response, most Muslim respondents (71%) to the Institute for the Impact of Faith in Life (IIFL) survey thought more is needed to strengthen ties between various faith groups, while only 22% thought the appropriate amount was being accomplished.

The report, titled The social contribution of British Muslims, shows that half (51%) of the 1,001 Muslims surveyed reported having a keen sense of belonging in their local community and neighbourhood compared with 35% of the 1,012 respondents in the wider general population survey.

More than four in five British Muslim respondents (83%) agreed with the view that, when compared to other European countries such as France, Germany, and the Netherlands, the UK is a better place for Muslims to be able to practise their faith whilst being involved in wider public life. This rises further to 87% for Muslims living in the Greater London area.

“Here British Muslims are still able to practise their faith openly and freely,” said Nadeem Afzal, from Birmingham, who was one of 28 people interviewed. “Growing up, the next-door neighbours on the right were British Indians, and on the left were a white British family, and all of us got on well. Certainly, there are no ‘no-go’ areas that politicians talk about. That’s certainly not the case at all.”

However, some emphasised the “negative portrayals” of Muslims in the media, the increase in anti-Muslim prejudice, and “smaller towns being less welcoming or overtly hostile” in comparison to metropolitan areas.

British Muslims surveyed across the UK also hold positive views over the opportunities offered by living in Britain, with 86% saying Britain is a good place to live for opportunities to progress and thrive in life, compared to just 70% of the general population.

Additionally, the survey demonstrated that Muslims are more likely to engage in civic engagement and charitable donations; in fact, three out of four British Muslims who participated in the survey reported donating money at least once in the twelve months prior to the study (75%). This figure drops to 68% in the wider general population sample.

More than half of British Muslim respondents reported gifting money to a friend (with no desire for or expectation of repayment) at some point during the twelve months leading up to the survey (51%). This drops by 21 percentage points to 30% for the wider general population sample.

In the general population survey, 86% of participants said they felt very much a part of their family. In the British Muslim survey, this increased to 91% of participants.
Among British Muslims, nearly seven out of ten (68%) believe that marriage and raising children to be law-abiding citizens are duties. In the larger sample of the general population, this decreases to 43%.

Over nine in ten (92%) British Muslim respondents believed that it is important for younger people to take as much care as possible of their older relatives. This dropped to 81% – 11 percentage points – for the wider general population sample.

More than two in five British Muslims respondents (44%) reported that they had provided care to elderly relative at some point during the twelve months leading up to being surveyed. This drops to 31% – 13 percentage points – for respondents in the wider general population sample.

More than three in five British Muslim respondents (63%) were of the view that overall, most people in Britain put their individual interests above the needs of their family members (and the wider community). This figure rose to 72% for British Muslim respondents aged between 18-34 years.

Nearly two in three British Muslim respondents reported sharing homemade food with someone who is not a family member at some point during the twelve months leading up to the survey (64%). This figure drops by 25 percentage points for respondents in the wider general population survey (39%).

Dr Jake Scott, Secretary of the IIFL, said: “This research comes as a timely intervention in an increasingly refusing public conversation on faith, Britain, and Islam. Our research shows that Muslims feel overwhelmingly optimistic about Britain’s future, are happier here than in most other European nations, and feel that they have the freedom to practise their faith whilst participating in public life.”

The report concludes that; “While many politicians, policymakers, and practitioners speak confidently on the behaviours and attitudes of the so-called ‘British Muslim community’, this section of the UK’s population remains largely misunderstood, misrepresented, under-researched, and undervalued.”

(Photo by Monstera Production/Pexels)