50% of Scots see Muslims as "cultural threat"

The Scottish government's Scottish Social Attitudes Survey published this week showed a growing Islamophobia in the country (see the Scotsman, Herald and Daily Record for more).

The new type pf prejudice could be seen clearly in the figures showing that while 4% of the public would object to an Asian school teacher, 21% would if that teacher was Muslim. Half the population thought that more Muslims would lead to the country losing it's identity - this was up from 38% in 2003.

This notion is of course nonsense. Research by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation has shown that Muslims in Scotland feel themselves to be more Scottish than the population as a whole.

This week's research was conducted before the Glasgow Airport attack, so it's fair to assume that the figures will be worse now. Clearly, the problem is due to the international situation - 9/11, 7/7, the wars on Iraq and Afghanistan.

This is not helped though by some ignorant, inflammatory and often mendacious media coverage when it comes to Islam and Muslims. To their credit, most of the newspapers covered the Attitudes to Discrimination Report responsibly, with even the Sun front paging with "SCOTS' RACIST SHAME", not acknowledging they are also part of the problem. The Daily Mail however led on their front page with "BACKLASH ON IMMIGRATION", with them seeing the report as a justification for their stance on the subject. The first person quoted was the odious Sir Andrew Green of the Migration Watch "think tank".

One disturbing feature of Scottish life at the moment is the recent recognition by papers like the Mail and the Express that they need to increase their Scottish output to sell papers here, and it's only going to lead to more divisive stories between communities.

While we work on fixing the world and our media, there is a need for short-term initiatives that bring together bring communities together for a public dialogue. I'm personally involved with a couple of things on this front at the moment and hopefully there will be some news I'll post up here soon.

Comments

[Random Guy]

Assalamu-alaikum Osama et all.

My knee-jerk reaction to this survery is 'So in addition to everything else, I have to think of myself as a (cultural) "threat" to potentially half the people I encounter on a daily basis?'

Then I think to myself, that this is pretty much exactly the reaction that people who want to sow division want. From whichever community, there are those who seek to divide, and those that seek to reconcile. The choice therefore is a binary one: think of yourself as part of the problem or part of the solution. Then act.

Peace and Blessings to you all.

[Abu Sinan]

It used to be that when one thought of the sectarian issues in Scotland it was between Protestants and Catholics, between the Bhoys and the Blue Noses.

It would be sad if Scotland was slowly getting over the first round of sectarian nonsense only to pick up another front in the same old war.

Sad.