Poll Shows Positive Side of Muslim Integration

July 7, 2006

Source: The New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/glogin?URI=http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/07/world/07pew.html&OQ=_rQ3D2Q26orefQ3Dslogin&OP=c221848Q2FQ3DTSNQ3DKQ5EjQ24@Q5EQ5EakQ3DkQ22Q22qQ3DQ22uQ3DQ22uQ3DTQ5E@EKQ3DQ22ugST60aZE

On July 7, 2006 The New York Times reported, "One year after bombings by Islamic militants in London set off intensive soul-searching across Europe about Muslim integration, a new survey has turned up surprisingly positive attitudes, both among European Muslims toward Europe and among society in general toward Muslims.

The poll, carried out by the Pew Global Attitudes Project this spring in 13 countries, with additional samples of Muslims living in Britain, Germany, France and Spain, indicated that 'Muslims are generally positive about conditions' in their countries of residence.

'In fact,' Pew said, 'they are more positive than the general publics in all four European countries about the way things are going in their countries.'

Among non-Muslim Europeans, overall attitudes toward Muslims did not worsen and in fact in some ways improved, despite the events of the past year: the July 7 attack in London, which killed 52 people; rioting across France in the autumn by youths, many of Muslim origin; and the rage ignited by Danish cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad.

The survey also found that European Muslims polled largely welcomed the entry of women into modern roles, favored a moderate version of Islam and did not see many or most Europeans as hostile toward Muslims. More French non-Muslims than those polled in a similar survey a year ago said immigration from the Middle East and North Africa was a good thing.

The survey, released Thursday, indicated that European Muslims polled shared with other Europeans a concern about unemployment.

Pew surveyed 14,030 people from March 31 to May 14 in Britain, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Nigeria, Pakistan, Russia, Spain, Turkey and the United States. The margin of sampling error for the national populations was plus or minus two to six points.

Among Muslims in Europe who see a struggle within Islam between moderates and militants, most support the moderates. But allegiance to militant Islamic political movements is not insignificant; in Britain, 15 percent of the Muslims polled sided with the militants."