Forty-one per cent of Brits think Muslim immigrants have a negative impact on the UK, compared to 13 per cent for Jewish immigrants, according to a YouGov survey.
The survey was commissioned by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community ahead of a major Islamic convention this weekend in Alton, Hampshire. The gathering, called the Jalsa Salana, has been described as the UK’s biggest Muslim convention and some 40,000 followers of the faith are expected to attend.
The YouGov survey asked 2,130 adults earlier this month how they felt about different groups of immigrants by religion. Forty-one per cent of responses said Muslims had a negative impact on the country, compared to 15 per cent feeling this way about Hindus, 14 per cent about Sikh immigrants, 13 per cent for Jewish immigrants and seven per cent for Christian immigrants.
Less than a quarter (24 per cent) of those polled felt Muslims had a positive impact on the UK, lower than any other religion, and more than half (53 per cent) said they believed Islam was not compatible with British values.
Sabah Ahmedi, 30, known as “the young imam”, said the results were “deeply worrying” and stemmed “from a lack of understanding of Islam.”
“As a British Muslim, it is tragic to think that we are disliked or hated because of our religious beliefs,” he said. “It is unfair and unjust considering that the vast majority of Muslim immigrants to the Uk are contributing positively.”
The Union Jack will be raised at this weekend’s Islamic convention “alongside the Islamic flag of our community, to symbolise that love of our faith and country go hand in hand,” he said.
Organisers of the event said this year it is “opening its doors to sceptics of Islam and those with any questions about the faith.”
To get more news, click here to sign up for our free daily newsletter.