Muslims are well-integrated in Britain – but no one seems to believe it

“In Britain today there is a mismatch between how non-Muslims often perceive Muslims and how Muslims typically perceive themselves. This disconnect is down to a tendency by non-Muslims to assume that Muslims struggle with their British identity and divided loyalties.”

Leon Moosavi writes at Comment is Free. He lists the following statistics:

• 83% of Muslims are proud to be a British citizen, compared to 79% of the general public
• 77% of Muslims strongly identify with Britain while only 50% of the wider population do
• 86.4% of Muslims feel they belong in Britain, slightly more than the 85.9% of Christians
• 82% of Muslims want to live in diverse and mixed neighbourhoods compared to 63% of non-Muslim Britons
• 90% of Pakistanis feel a strong sense of belonging in Britain compared to 84% of white people

And he contrasts this with the attitudes of the non-Muslim majority towards their Muslim fellow citizens:

• 47% of Britons see Muslims as a threat
• Only 28% of Britons believe Muslims want to integrate into British society
• 52% of Britons believe that Muslims create problems
• 45% of Britons admit that they think there are too many Muslims in Britain
• 55% of Britons would be concerned if a mosque was built in their area
• 58% of Britons associate Islam with extremism