British Muslims more 'loyal' to Britain

Poll: Brit Muslims more 'loyal' to Britain - UPI.com

Poll: Brit Muslims more 'loyal' to Britain
Published: May 8, 2009 at 7:57 PM


LONDON, May 8 (UPI) -- A survey suggests 77 percent of British Muslims describe themselves as loyal to the country, compared to only 36 percent of the general public.

The survey, conducted by Gallup and the Coexist Foundation, suggests British Muslims are more likely than the general public to have high opinions of British elections, courts, media and financial bodies, The Times of London reported Friday.

"Since 9/11 and the terrorist attacks in Madrid and London, mistrust towards European Muslims has become palpable. Significant segments of European societies openly express doubt that Muslim fellow nationals are loyal citizens," the report's authors wrote. "The general construct of this premise rests on an oversimplified and erroneous understanding of Islam and terrorism."

The poll involved 1,000 telephone interviews and 500 face-to-face interviews with Muslims living in areas with high Islamic populations.