A survey carried out recently by Global Market Insite, Muslim Voice UK, Queens University in Belfast and the University of Liverpool, found that UK Muslims blame media bias towards them and the negative portrayal of Islam for the widespread misconception about the noble religion and the rising Islamophobia, according to UK’s The Guardian.
According to the survey, 40% of Muslims blame the media for widespread anti-Islamic feelings, while 74% of non-Muslims blame Islamophobia on September 11 attacks.
"The Muslim-West relations have become increasingly strained due to a string of events such as the September 11 attacks in 2001, the Afghanistan war in 2002, the Iraq war, the London bombings in 2005 and the Danish cartoon row,” said the report by Shaista Gohir, from online forum Muslim Voice UK.
"In this current climate, it is essential to gauge Muslim and non-Muslim attitudes with a view to resolving differences."
"It was striking that Muslims feel more strongly about international issues than say, their treatment by police or discrimination in the UK,” she said in her report.
"It also appears that Islamophobia, Western foreign policy and human rights abuses of Muslims are contributing substantially to the alienation of UK Muslims.
"On the other hand, non-Muslims are concerned about extremism, the lack of integration, Muslims not being proud to be British and the lack of tolerance by Muslims. However, the biggest threat to good Muslim and non-Muslim community relations is the misinformation on Islam in the media."
Islamophobia whether in the UK or elsewhere is not something that has suddenly appeared over the horizon because of the weather.
Anti-Muslim bias emerged from the policies of many Western governments, including the U.S. and Britain, who seek protecting their hegemony in the Middle East, through tarnishing the Muslims’ image to justify political and military interference in Arab and ME nations.
The rise in Islamophobia following September 11 attacks affected Muslims’ efforts to integrate in Western societies, and took them two steps backward.
However, Muslims started in recent years to play an active role in western nations’ societies, and in many countries they proved to have successfully integrated into the West, breaking the barrier that has long prevented real participation in those countries’ social life and political system.
AlJazeera
According to the survey, 40% of Muslims blame the media for widespread anti-Islamic feelings, while 74% of non-Muslims blame Islamophobia on September 11 attacks.
"The Muslim-West relations have become increasingly strained due to a string of events such as the September 11 attacks in 2001, the Afghanistan war in 2002, the Iraq war, the London bombings in 2005 and the Danish cartoon row,” said the report by Shaista Gohir, from online forum Muslim Voice UK.
"In this current climate, it is essential to gauge Muslim and non-Muslim attitudes with a view to resolving differences."
"It was striking that Muslims feel more strongly about international issues than say, their treatment by police or discrimination in the UK,” she said in her report.
"It also appears that Islamophobia, Western foreign policy and human rights abuses of Muslims are contributing substantially to the alienation of UK Muslims.
"On the other hand, non-Muslims are concerned about extremism, the lack of integration, Muslims not being proud to be British and the lack of tolerance by Muslims. However, the biggest threat to good Muslim and non-Muslim community relations is the misinformation on Islam in the media."
Islamophobia whether in the UK or elsewhere is not something that has suddenly appeared over the horizon because of the weather.
Anti-Muslim bias emerged from the policies of many Western governments, including the U.S. and Britain, who seek protecting their hegemony in the Middle East, through tarnishing the Muslims’ image to justify political and military interference in Arab and ME nations.
The rise in Islamophobia following September 11 attacks affected Muslims’ efforts to integrate in Western societies, and took them two steps backward.
However, Muslims started in recent years to play an active role in western nations’ societies, and in many countries they proved to have successfully integrated into the West, breaking the barrier that has long prevented real participation in those countries’ social life and political system.
AlJazeera
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