Cover Story

France is the most Western country at ease with its Muslim population, while Britons are the most suspicious compared to Europeans and Americans, according to a new poll by The Financial Times, published last fortnight. “In France we are very good at cultural integration,” said Patrick Weil, political scientist at the University of Paris, Sorbonne. The Harris Interactive survey, which involved 6,398 people in the six Western countries, found that most French would accept if their child wanted to marry a Muslim and were most likely to say they had Muslim friends. It also found that most French believe that French Muslims had been the victims of unjustified criticism and prejudice.


“We are very bad in fighting discrimination, especially in high-level jobs,” said Weil.


French Justice Minister Rachida Dati is facing a smear campaign by right-wing media and “jealous” politicians, who cannot swallow a Muslim woman of poor ethnic background holding such a prestigious post, Britain’s Times reported. The construction of purpose-built mosques in France has become a mission impossible as rightists stand as the main roadblock and derail strenuous efforts made by Muslims to have a proper place of worship just like other communities in the secular country. Paris triggered an international controversy in 2004 after banning hijab. France is home to around six million Muslims, the largest Muslim minority in Europe.


The poll found that Britons view Muslims with more suspicions than other Europeans or Americans. It indicated that Britons were most likely to consider Muslims “a threat to national security”. The poll found that 59 percent of British respondents thought it possible to be both a Muslim and a Briton, a smaller proportion than in France, Germany, Spain, Italy or the US. The new poll found that suspicions about Muslims fell sharply in the US and other European countries.


In America, 21 percent of respondents saw Muslims as a threat, though some 40 percent said they would oppose their children marrying Muslims.


In Spain, fewer than a quarter saw Muslims as a threat, while just a fifth said they would oppose Muslims marrying their children.


The poll found that nearly 46 percent of British respondents believe Muslims had too much political power. By contrast, about a third of Italians and Germans, less than a quarter of Spaniards, and a fifth of Americans believe Muslims had too much political power.

To wash away an apathetic image, London-based Muslim international relief and development charities are organizing a concert to raise awareness about the situation in Sudan’s troubled Darfur region and raise funds for afflicted people. “We have been asked ‘why do not British Muslims give Darfur the kind of attention they show for bloodsheds elsewhere?’” says Jehager Malik, the UK national fundraising manager of the Islamic Relief (IR) charity. The IR, established in Birmingham in 1984 with the stated mission of alleviating suffering, hunger, illiteracy and diseases worldwide regardless of color, race or creed, and Muslim Aid are co-organizing a concert at London’s Wembley Stadium on October 21. The production of the concert will be in partnership with the music label Awakening Entertainment, an event management and artist development company for a cross platform of Islamic musical talents. “We are predicting a sell-out,” said Malik, expecting 12.000 to 15.000 people to attend the show. Malik said the event will be the Muslim equivalent of the famous Live 8, a series of worldwide concerts in 2005 to highlight the problem of global poverty. The concert will be dedicated to raise awareness of the situation in Darfur.