Islam had a perception problem in the UK: Almost a third of Britons believe it is a violent religion, three in five Britons (58 per cent) associate Islam with extremism and one in two Britons link it with terrorism.
Two-thirds of Britons (68 per cent) believe Islam encourages the repression of women, fewer than one in seven Britons believe that it is a religion of peace and only one in 16 believe it is a religion of justice, the YouGov survey commissioned by the Exploring Islam Foundation.
To counter the negative perception of Islam in Britain, the foundation, which has Gujarat-born Lord Adam Hafejee Patel of Blackburn as its patron, on Monday launched an awareness campaign to counter widespread public concern.
The campaign, “Inspired by Muhammad,” includes advertisements at bus stops, Tube stations and on London’s iconic cabs and red buses. It was launched by television presenter Kristiane Backer, a converted Muslim, in a London cab in front of Tower Bridge on the River Thames. “Islam has been a part of British life for generations and British Muslims make an important contribution to the UK’s economic and social wellbeing, and its rich cultural diversity. Yet as this poll demonstrates today there remains a great deal of misunderstanding and distrust at the role of Islam and Muslim in Britain today. As a British Muslim, proud of my faith and my country, this causes me deep concern,” 60-year-old Lord Patel said.
“So I am delighted to be associated with this campaign which I hope will help build a greater understanding and awareness of the positive contribution Islam and Muslims make to British society today,” the Labour peer added.