Posted on 08/10/2005 9:45:20 PM PDT by GiveEmDubya
Many believe multiculturalism improves UK society The majority of British people think multiculturalism makes the country a better place, a BBC poll suggests.
But 32% think it "threatens the British way of life" and 54% think "parts of the country don't feel like Britain any more because of immigration".
The Mori poll for the BBC also suggests the 7 July bomb attacks have not led to an upsurge in racial intolerance.
The survey questioned 1,004 people in the UK. A booster survey of 204 British Muslims was conducted for comparison.
The overwhelming majority of Muslims - 89% - said they feel proud when British teams do well in international competitions, a similar figure to the national population.
And the survey suggests broad agreement between the two groups on immigrants being made to learn English and accept the authority of British institutions.
Ben Page, director of Mori's social research institute, said: "The survey shows that despite 7/7, the majority of both white British people and Muslims share a common level of allegiance to Britain and its institutions and seem very tolerant of each other, in contrast to media reporting following the London bombing.
"They support the expulsion of those who promote terror, and the use of measures like house arrest, but both groups are more divided over any fundamental changes to civil liberties as a reaction to 7/7, such as trial without jury, or detention with trial."
But the survey suggests a more "confused" attitude to the concept of multiculturalism, Mr Page added.
Some 62% of the national population believe "multiculturalism makes Britain a better place to live", according to the poll.
At the same time, 58% thought "people who come to live in Britain should adopt the values of and traditions of British culture".
'Terrorists failed'
Conservative shadow home secretary David Davis said the findings about racial tolerance were "extremely positive".
It also showed that people did not want a "multiculturalist policy" where some communities are encouraged to stay separate and shun integration, he said.
Shami Chakrabarti, director of human rights group Liberty, said the poll showed the terrorists and "race hate mongers" did not represent Britain. Those who thought it fashionable to bash multiculturalism should think again, she said.
Head of the Muslim Council of Britain Sir Iqbal Sacranie said that, although the general trend appeared to be positive, the recent rise in race hate attacks meant Britain should not be complacent.
"Together, all of us - the police, government - need to look and view this issue in a very pragmatic manner.
"There's an issue of criminality that exists - it's not the entire community that should be denigrated or maligned."
Among Muslims, 87% thought multiculturalism improved British society, but only 28% thought people coming from abroad should adopt British culture and values.
Both groups disagreed strongly with the suggestion that the policy of multiculturalism had failed and should be abandoned.
But on the issue of Muslim students wearing headscarves opinion was more divided, with 35% of non-Muslims saying they should be made to remove them, compared to 16% of Muslims.
Only 2% of the national population described themselves as "very racially prejudiced", but Mr Page said the survey's other findings suggest a "substantial minority of British people are not tolerant".
But a third said they thought Islam was "incompatible with the values of British democracy".
According to the survey, 74% of Muslims think Britain should deport or exclude foreigners who encourage terrorism, compared with 91% of the population as a whole.
Poll results were based on a nationally representative sample of 1,004 GB adults aged 16 and over, with the data weighted to reflect the population profile.
In addition, 204 interviews were conducted among Muslims - 112 with people who had agreed to be re-contacted from previous surveys and 92 using random digit dialling - with the data weighted to reflect the Muslim population profile.
All interviews were conducted on 8 and 9 August 2005.
"The Mori poll for the BBC also suggests the 7 July bomb attacks have not led to an upsurge in racial intolerance."
Well, that's the really important thing, isn't it?
British Commentary Ping!
So, multiculturalism for an East-Ender Muslim is cheering for Britain in the World Cup?
They do realize that those two prospects are mutually exclusive?
Just think how bad the food would be in the UK without the curry shops, Italian bar chow and Chinese carry out..it would be hard to survive there.
It's a *BBC* poll!!!! In other words, ..it's full
of Shyte!
the majority of both white British people and Muslims share a common level of allegiance to Britain
Hmmm. Next poll, BBC, how about asking the muslims, "Should bombing murderers who kill in the name of Islam be considered apostates and killed on sight?" and "Do bombing murderers who kill in the name of Islam go to paradise?"
Lets see what they think of those questions.
Hmmm. where was that other interesting line? ....
Oh yeah.
with the data weighted to reflect the Muslim population profile.
Someone's kookin the books. Weighted to reflect is a libs way of saying they cooked it to say what they want it to say.
Apparently the Brits haven't been stung enough yet. They will be though, cause this problem ISN'T going away.
A little input Ivan? Thanks.
This poll seems already made for the BBC pre-determined conclusions.
"The Mori poll for the BBC also suggests the 7 July bomb attacks have not led to an upsurge in racial intolerance"
Considering all the reports of attacks, this seems odd.
It's only a little after 6 in jolly old England...let's give him some time to wake up first. ;)
Yes, as noted by several other posters, there seem to be oddities and contradictions. I found the article interesting nonetheless.
Sleep is for wimps! (he says as he dodders off to bed :) )
[[Mycathasgottenmoresleepinmybedtodaythanme]]
Sigh. Spoiled witless little creatures.
nite
It's because the term "multiculturalism", like the term "immigration" has been bastardized beyond what its intended meaning is.
Those who come to a new country, refuse to learn the language, refuse to become a part of the new society, who absolutely reuse to partake of the cultural norms should not be welcome because they will only cause problems. The first is immigration, the second is multiculturalism.
The post above yours agrees it seems.
In any event (and hopefully Ivan and others can help us out with this), it would be a misdetermination to say that there is no underlying conflict in Britain on this matter festering under the surface. We can hope it doesn't grow and we can hope for peace, but at the same time, we must be realistic. Europe is in the midst of an immigrational crisis, and somewhere along the line, there will be a push for their own cultural preservation (at least, there might be).
The key is the common language, that must be required. The biggest mistake the US has ever made was introducing bi-lingual education and printing all government forms in more than one language. That alone will bring people together. If someone doesn't care enough to learn the language of their host country, they shouldn't partake of government services or vote.
The Brits have a strong enough culture that it can absorb people from all over. Their problem has been the leftists succeeding in making them feel guilt over their past. The left focuses on all the mistakes and ignores all the great strides a country has made. I'm hoping the Brits will pull this out.
Multi-culturalism is a disintegrating phenomenon because of terrorism. The BBC's contrived 'poll' was designed to create a sense that you are among a small minority of dishonorable bigots if you are against the blight of Islamic immigration and terrorist preaching going on in the mosques and on the streets. The plan isn't working though.
Of course, it's all b.s. anyway, from the alleged poll results to the trick questions, to the real reason for the poll. I've learned to ignore these things because they're all designed to herd free and logical thinkers into the sheep pen.
Mistake, or successful implementation of a blueprint for disaster?
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