Friday 8 May 2009

Express calls Muslims the 'most loyal people in Britain' shock!

Mark the day. It's almost impossible to believe, but the Express has a positive story about the British Muslim community today. It may be a first. The headline is 'The most loyal people in Britain' although it would of course be beyond them to say 'British Muslims are the most loyal people in Britain'.

The story is based on a survey by Gallup and the Coexist Foundation. The headline figure is that 77% of British Muslims say they identified strongly with the UK, compared to only 50% of the general public.

By contrast, only '36 per cent of the general public considered Muslims to be loyal'. There can be no doubt that the drip-drip of negative stories heavily influences that figure.

There was also a difference in the confidence they had in the police - 76% compared to 67% of the general public.

Perhaps one of the most notable numbers was that only 3% of British Muslims believed other religions threatened their way of life, while 26% of the general public did. Ditto about the drip-drip of negative stories.

The Times, Telegraph and Independent all lead with the 'loyalty' figure in reporting the survey findings. Although as if to prove it's not just the Mail's readers who are intolerant mouth-breathers, Janis from Melba, USSA (wherever that is) writes on the Times' story: 'No wonder since all you all do is appease the muslims. You know what they are after (the muslims) to take over the world.'

And guess what? The Sun doesn't regard this survey to be of any interest at all. It doesn't get a mention on their website anywhere.

Whereas the Mail, totally perversely, decides to highlight one of the few 'negative' aspects of the survey with the headline: Just one in 10 British Muslims feel integrated into society. The figure about loyalty to the UK is held back until the seventh paragraph. Before then, the Mail warns:

it found that more than a third are dissatisfied with their standard of living...The findings sound a warning that despite the efforts of ministers and Islamic leaders since the 2005 London bombings to build common ground between some Islamic communities and their neighbours, doubts, mistrust and resentment continue to exist.

Muslims don't feel integrated? With such ridiculously skewed reporting such as this - and reactions to the Luton Islamic Centre fire earlier in the week - is that any surprise?

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