More Muslims identify themselves with being British than the rest of the population and most have far more confidence in institutions, according to a new survey.
The survey by Gallup has found that 77 per cent of Muslims say they “identified with the UK” compared with only 50 per cent of the public at large.
Most Muslims - 75 per cent - say they also identify with their religion, according to the poll conducted with the interfaith Coexist Foundation.
Muslims also outscored the general public for their belief in courts, honest elections, financial institutions and the media.
Confidence in the military was the only area where British Muslims scored lower than the general public.
Gallup conducted face to face interviews with more than 500 Muslims over 18 in areas where they made up more than 5 per cent of the population.
That was compared with a telephone poll of 1,000 people aged over 15, weighted to reflect the general population.
It revealed that 82 per cent of Muslim say they are loyal to the UK, although only 36 per cent of the general public would consider Muslims loyal to the country.
Only 12 per cent of MuslimS believe that removing the veil is necessary for integration, compared with 53 per cent of the general public.
Only 18 per cent of the public said the same about removing the Sikh turban.
The report also found that Muslims tend to hold more conservative views on moral issues than the general public in France, Germany and Britain.
Muhammad Yunis, senior analyst at Gallup, said: “In the aftermath of the horrific London bombing, Britain’s multicultural approach to integration came under fire from pundits in Europe and the United States, who saw it as an appeasement of unreasonable demands and promoting parallel societies.
“However, it appears British Muslims are more likely to identify strongly with their nation, and to express stronger confidence in its democratic institutions, while maintaining a high degree of religious identity.”
But the economic difficulties faced by Muslims also came out in the survey which found that only 7 per cent were considered “thriving” compared with 56 per cent of the general population and only 38 per cent said they had a job, compared with 62 per cent of the general public.
Dalia Mogahed, executive director of the Gallup Centre for Muslim Studies who has recently been appointed as an adviser to President Obama, said: “This research shows that many of the assumptions about Muslims and integration couldn’t be more wide of the mark.
“British Muslims want to be part of the wider community and contribute to society however in many cases it is a harsh economic reality that holds them back and stops them from realising their full potential.”
The report also includes results of a 27 country survey, spanning four continents which found that 99 per cent of the population of Bangladesh said religion played an important part of daily life while only 29 per cent said the same in Britain and 20 per cent in Norway, which same bottom of the table.