One in three Muslims do not feel ‘part of British culture’

A third of Muslim adults in the UK say they do not feel “part of British culture”, new research on identity, race and religion finds.

British Muslims are more than twice as likely as Hindus and more than 40 per cent more likely than Sikhs to feel excluded from society, a report by the pollsters Opinium Research shows.

But, strikingly, the study also found that almost a quarter of people who defined themselves as “white British” also claimed to feel alienated from wider British “culture”.

The research, based in polling of 2,000 people plus a booster sample of just over 500 who define themselves as from an ethnic minority, shows that racism is widely perceived to be less common than it was 20 years ago but highlights fears that the migrant crisis is fuelling a resurgence.

Almost six out of 10 (58 per cent) of those from ethnic minorities says they had experienced some form of discrimination.

Sikhs polled were most likely to report having experienced discrimination (69 per cent), just ahead of Muslims (64 per cent) and Hindus (54 per cent).

Only just over half (54 per cent) of those polled believed in David Cameron’s idea of British values, agreeing with the statement that “there are a set of values that all nationalities and religions in the UK can agree on”.

Notably, support for this idea was higher among ethnic minorities (60 per cent) than the general population.

But almost six in 10 (57 per cent) of those polled - and almost four in 10 (37 per cent) of people from ethnic minorities - thought that multiculturalism is “eroding traditional British culture”.

Perhaps most striking is the proportion of people who felt alienated from 21st Century Britain.

When asked if they agreed with the statement “I don’t feel like a part of British culture” 10 per cent said they “strongly” agreed and another 13 per cent did so “somewhat” - or 23 per cent overall.

Among Muslims polled the proportion agreeing either strongly or “somewhat” rises to 33 per cent compared with 16 per cent of Hindus and 23 per cent of Sikhs in the sample.

When the responses were analysed by race rather than religion 22 per cent of those who chose “white British” also says they rye not feel part of British culture.

James Endersby, managing director of Opinium, said: “Defining British culture is a difficult task and in our truly multi-cultural environment it’s clear that an alarming proportion of Brits have trouble relating to modern British culture.

“Perhaps they feel that it has changed too much, or aren’t clear on exactly what British culture is; whatever the reason, this is a sentiment felt, in varying degrees, across people from all religious and ethnic backgrounds.”

A spokesman for the Islamic Society of Britain said: “British Muslim homes are changing faster than general statistical pictures often suggest, and becoming increasingly diverse and regional.

“Indeed Scottish nationalism and a sense of ‘Welshness’ are emergent social trends.

“We cannot truly speak of a singular British Muslim identity but of plural faith identities, the immediate future of which belongs firmly with young Muslims.

“Muslim not yet 20 represent a very significant slice of the population whose voices surveys do not express.

“Ask these British-born Muslims if they feel part of British culture and, because they are in no doubt about it, they look at you in astonishment for asking such a (stupid) question.

“We can observe clear generational differences in social attitudes, but many young Muslims also tell us they can feel suffocated by a non-stop suspicion and intrusion into their lives.

“Give them space to breathe.”

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