UK Muslims show stronger connection than national avg: survey

British Muslims are more likely to feel a stronger connection to the UK than the population at large, according to a new survey, which also found chasms on issues like homosexuality and terrorist sympathising.
As many as 86 per cent of British Muslims feel a strong sense of belonging in Britain, which is higher than the national average of 83 per cent, according to a poll conducted by ICM and commissioned by Channel 4 for a documentary.
A large majority (91 per cent) of the British Muslims who took part in the survey said they felt a strong sense of belonging in their local area, which is higher than the national average of 76 per cent.

In a series of questions on the terror threat in Britain, 4 per cent said they sympathised with people who took part in suicide bombings (1 per cent said they completely sympathised and 3 per cent said they sympathised to some extent), and 4 per cent said they sympathised with people who committed terrorist actions as a form of political protest generally.
The poll, however, also showed some "troubling" results.
According to the poll, only one in three (34 per cent) British Muslims surveyed would tip off the police if they believed that somebody close to them had become involved with terrorist sympathisers.

More than half (52 per cent) of Muslims surveyed also believed that homosexuality should be illegal in Britain and nearly a quarter (23 per cent) wanted Sharia to replace British law in some parts of the country.

A random sample of 1,081 adults aged 18 and over, who identified themselves as British Muslims, were interviewed face-to-face by ICM for 'What British Muslims Really Think' documentary to be telecast on Wednesday night.
Among some of the other findings, nearly two in five (39 per cent) Muslims thought that wives should always obey their husbands, nearly one in three (31 per cent) believed it was acceptable to have more than one wife, and 5 per cent of Muslims sympathised with people who took part in stoning adulterers.

The research also suggests that 86 per cent of British Muslims feel a strong sense of belonging in Britain, which is higher than the national average of 83 per cent.
A large majority (91 per cent) of the British Muslims who took part in the survey said they felt a strong sense of belonging in their local area, which is higher than the national average of 76 per cent.
Of those questioned, 88 per cent said Britain was a good place for Muslims to live in, and 78 per cent said they would like to integrate into British life on most things apart from Islamic schooling and some laws.

The Muslim population of England and Wales is expected to rise from 2.71 million to at least 6 million by 2050.