One in four Muslims sympathises with motives of terrorists
In the wake of the recent terrorist episodes in London, it would make sense to take the pulse of the Muslim community in England, if for no other reason than to determine how these incidents are playing in that community. Sadly, it would seem that support, or at least sympathy, for, the terrorists responsible for the bombings is strong enough to be a real cause for concern for Britons.
Of course, the vast majority of British Muslims oppose the bombings and those who would carry out similar attacks. Nonetheless, there appears to be a pronounced disconnect between British society as a whole and the Muslim community. The question, I suppose, is what, if any, responsibility Britons have to address the situation.
England is not a country known for harmonious relations between ethnic communities. Though London is famed for being an ethnic melting pot, England as a whole is one of the most racist countries one could ever visit. Anyone who has ever travelled through Heathrow Airport has undoubtedly been treated to the spectacle of brown people being pulled aside for questioning and thorough searches in Customs while white people glide through unmolested.
Race is a much different, and much more divisive, issue in England than here in the US. I do not mean to accuse all Britons of racism, but there is definitely an undercurrent of racism present in England that is much stronger and more pervasive than anything you’ll find in the US. (Yes, we’re just much more subtle in our prejudice and discrimination.)
The divisions within the Muslim community go deep. Muslims are divided over the morality of the London bombings, over the extent of their loyalty to this country and over how Muslims should respond to recent events….
YouGov sought to gauge the character of the Muslim community’s response to the events of July 7. As the figures in the chart show, 88 per cent of British Muslims clearly have no intention of trying to justify the bus and Tube murders.
However, six per cent insist that the bombings were, on the contrary, fully justified.
Six per cent may seem a small proportion but in absolute numbers it amounts to about 100,000 individuals who, if not prepared to carry out terrorist acts, are ready to support those who do.
Moreover, the proportion of YouGov’s respondents who, while not condoning the London attacks, have some sympathy with the feelings and motives of those who carried them out is considerably larger - 24 per cent.
I suppose you would have to look at various socioeconomic factors in England in order to fully understand the reactions of the Muslim community. Though there is a sizable Muslim community in England, it is not a country that welcomes non-Christians with open arms. Immigration and employment policies are still not conducive to making Muslims feel welcome. The potential for alienation in a foreign land probably adds to the isolation and resentment that seems to be present in the community.
The sheer scale of Muslim alienation from British society that the survey reveals is remarkable. Although a large majority of British Muslims are more than content to make their home in this country, a significant minority are not.
For example, YouGov asked respondents how loyal they feel towards Britain. As the figures in the chart show, the great majority say they feel “very loyal” (46 per cent) or “fairly loyal” (33 per cent) but nearly one British Muslim in five, 18 per cent, feels little loyalty towards this country or none at all.
If these findings are accurate, and they probably are, well over 100,000 British Muslims feel no loyalty whatsoever towards this country.
Dealing with the problem may or may not make terrorism a less likely possibility in England. In one sense, this all really has little to deal with dealing with and preventing terrorist attacks. Nonetheless, for once, at least someone in England is beginning to recognize that there is a whole segment of the population that just doesn’t feel very welcomed. Trying to address the pervasive prejudice against and marginalization of Muslims in England might not ultimately reduce the number of terrorist attacks, but it might just make the soil in which the resentment grows less hospitable.
Britons are not responsible for the bombings. The terrorists who carried them out are. All I’m saying is that this might be a good time for Britons to take a long look at their society, at their attitudes and prejudices, and honestly assess if they might themselves be able to make a difference in the long run. Perhaps by making England less racist, Muslims and other non-white communities might just be able to dial down the resentment and the alienation a notch or two.
It’s not as if Britons have anything to lose by taking a long, honest look at themselves….
Reducing racism is a laudable goal and I'm all for it, but it is almost entirely unrelated to Jihadism. By all accounts, the Netherlands is the most open and tolerant society on earth, and yet it has a vast, disaffected Muslim community.
What the Jihadists want are the economic benefits of living in a free, Western country (otherwise they'd go home) while at the same time the religious "benefits" of living in a traditional Muslim country. In other words, they want to eat their cake and have it, too. A normal enough human emotion, but not a realistic one.
Since they're not getting both things they want, they're petulantly striking out like a two-year old--a two-year old with bombs.
Essentially, I agree with you, Tex. Racism is abhorrent, but it is a separate issue. Nonetheless, if Britons cannot use this opportunity to take a good look in the mirro, when will they?