A study has found that just over one-sixth of the public sees the growth of the Muslim population in the UK as a threat to British culture.
According to research conducted by the British Future think tank and the British Muslim Trust, which surveyed a representative sample of 2,000 people living in the UK, 17 per cent “strongly agree” that “the growth in the Muslim population poses a foundational threat to UK culture”.
Meanwhile, a majority of respondents (52 per cent) said that Muslims can be just as British as white non-Muslims, the left-wing Guardian newspaper reported. Conversely, just 19 per cent said that they do not agree that “Muslims born in this country are as British as white, non-Muslim people born here.”
It comes amid an ongoing public debate over what it means to be British. While some have argued that it is merely a civic category that is open to anyone who obtains British citizenship, others have argued that it is an exclusive ethnic group for those native to the British Isles. Others have even said that British can be a civic national identity, while the UK constituent nations can be divided into ethnic groupings.
What constitutes a ‘Briton’ has become increasingly pertinent given the drastic demographic changes imposed on the country by both Conservative and Labour Westminster establishment parties in recent decades. Indeed, forecasts have predicted that if the current rate of immigration continues, native white Britons are set to become a minority in their homeland by 2063.
Opponents of mass migration have raised particular concerns over the growing Islamic population in the country, given how radically out of step many Muslims are with mainstream British opinions. Indeed, surveys have frequently found that Muslims living in the UK are significantly more likely to support terror groups like Hamas and to justify terrorism like the October 7th attacks on Israel in 2024.
Nevertheless, the research conducted by the British Future and the British Muslim Trust – which the government has made its official partner in monitoring so-called Islamophobia — found that 57 per cent of respondents agreed with the idea that “it is possible for Muslims and non-Muslims to live well together in towns and cities around the UK.”
Muslims were also generally positive about their country, with 73 per cent saying that Britain is a good place to be a Muslim. However, 56 per cent also claimed to have been subjected to prejudice over their faith at some point over the past year.
Additionally, over six in ten surveyed said that they think there is prejudice against Muslims in Britain and that the government should take some sort of action to prevent anti-Islam prejudice. While 40 per cent said that government action should be balanced with freedom of speech rights, 20 per cent said that the government should take “strong” measures to fight against anti-Muslim prejudice.
It comes as the left-wing Labour Party government is preparing to introduce a formalised definition of so-called Islamophobia into law, potentially paving the way for people to be arrested for blaspheming against Islam.