Over half of British Muslims believe homosexuality should be illegal, survey says

The former chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission has warned of a growing “nation within a nation,” as a new poll finds that over half of British Muslims believe homosexuality should be illegal.

An ICM survey for Channel 4’s upcoming programme What British Muslims Really Think interviewed 1,000 British Muslims face to face, and found that while 86% of those surveyed said they felt a strong sense of belonging in Britain:

52% believed homosexuality should not be legal in Britain, with as many young Muslims supporting this as older members of the community. 18% believed that homosexuality should be legal.
39% agreed “wives should always obey their husbands” and 31% said it was acceptable for a man to have more than one wife.
4% said they felt at least some sympathy with people who took part in suicide bombings.
25% said they could understand why British school girls could be attracted to become “jihadi brides” overseas.
47% agreed that Muslims should do more to tackle the causes of extremism in the Muslim community.
35% believe Jewish people have too much power in Britain.

The data was analysed by Trevor Phillips

, the former head of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, who said it was “extremely worrying” and “holds a grim message for all of us.” He warned of a chasm within the British Muslim community, in which the more liberal-minded are now unable to turn back the tide on those with more radical views.

“We have ‘understood’ too much, and challenged too little,” he says “and in doing so are in danger of sacrificing a generation of young British people to values that are antithetical to the beliefs of most of us, including many Muslims.” He added that, “Britain’s liberal Muslims are crying out for this challenge to be confronted.”

TREVOR PHILLIPS

The poll showed almost a quarter of British Muslims would like to see areas where sharia law took precedence over British law.

Commenting on this, Phillips said: “Muslims want to be part of Britain – but many do not accept the values and behaviours that make Britain what it is; they believe that Islam offers a better future. And a small number feel that these sincerely held beliefs justify attempts to destroy our democracy.”

“There is one truly terrifying finding,” he concluded. “Muslims who have separatist views about how they want to live in Britain are far more likely to support terrorism than those who do not. And there are far too many of the former for us to feel that we can gradually defeat the threat.”

Speaking to the Guardian in response to the poll, Shaista Gohir, the chair of the Muslim Women’s Network UK, said she believed interviews with Christians and Jews would reveal similar findings, and the fact that only 52% of British Muslims opposed homosexuality was a sign that attitudes were shifting in the right direction.

“Although they may not accept it from a religious point of view,” she said, “[Muslims] accept that people should be able to have the freedom and right not be discriminated against and and live their lives.”

The poll was conducted as part of a new Channel 4 show, What British Muslims Really Think, which will air at 10pm on Wednesday.

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