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What is the perception of Muslims in Britain?

chefi_1984

What are your perceptions of Muslims in Britain and have they changed since the 7/7 on London? If yes then what is the biggest influence on these perceptions, society, the media or the Governemnt?

Thanks

Reply 1

This Is Not A Username

7

Tbh, I don't think most people have a perception.

I have a few friends who are Muslim and I wouldn't even associate them (or any other muslims) with what happened on 7/7.

Also, a lot of other people may be Muslim, but just from looking at them I wouldn't know or care.

Reply 2

username43584

8

From experiences in my home country, there's a lot of anti-Muslim feeling simply because of 7/7 and all the images of militant Muslims on the media. I've more than once been highly offended when people have declared, quite unashamedly, that "all Muslims are terrorists". This is probably do with a lack of education...the Muslim community here is small and quite insular so no-one has any perception of Muslims to draw on rather than what they see on the news.

In London, the perception is a whole lot more positive. The people I associate with are sensible enough to realise that the Muslim militant comes from a very small group of extremists.

Reply 3

Gaylei

13

the 7/7 Muslims are readical muslims. If people actually took the time to talk to a muslim then they will tell you like christianity it says in their holy book that they should not kill.
A jehad has been taken out of context. you can have a Jehad to do your job better or to learn english better etc. It depends on what level it is.

I Know a few muslims and when I talk to them their religion makes more sense to me then my own!
they are not as judgemental as chrisitians, chrisitians can say to another person who they feel is not living a chrisitan life that they are going to hell. where as muslims believe that the only person who knows where your going is god and its up to him.

Reply 4

Freud

14

I think it's a definite minority who would look at the majority of muslims differently since 7/7. You can't make a connection - they had nothing to do with it! Yet even so, I cannot help feel a bit odd when I see a woman covered from head to foot in black with only her eyes showing.

Reply 5

Gaylei

13

Freud

I think it's a definite minority who would look at the majority of muslims differently since 7/7. You can't make a connection - they had nothing to do with it! Yet even so, I cannot help feel a bit odd when I see a woman covered from head to foot in black with only her eyes showing.[/QUOTE]
correct me if I am wrong but isnt that Islam rather then Muslims?

you dont have to cover up if your a muslim well only your head and arms but not your face?

Reply 6

Freud

14

[QUOTE="Gaylei"]

Freud

I think it's a definite minority who would look at the majority of muslims differently since 7/7. You can't make a connection - they had nothing to do with it! Yet even so, I cannot help feel a bit odd when I see a woman covered from head to foot in black with only her eyes showing.[/QUOTE]
correct me if I am wrong but isnt that Islam rather then Muslims?

you dont have to cover up if your a muslim well only your head and arms but not your face?

Eh, sorry. I won't pretend to know everything about these matters.

Reply 7

Ed.

17

Well I think there is a (media fuelled ?) undercurrent of distrust of Muslims in the UK. This is of course unacceptable but based more on ignorance than hatred.

Reply 8

Holty-Dave

13

I don't mind but I don't like when they don't intergrate into society and only hang around with other muslims. Do they not want to socialise with me because I'm white? We have all these accusations of racism towards us but I'm prepared to mix in with people regardless of skin colour or culture yet they (majority) seem to only congrigate with other muslims. Why?

Islam is the religion Muslims follow. Islam, like Christianity, has different interpretations. So, just how a protestant might not believe in saints versus a Catholic that does, some Muslims believe a fully covered women is more in the religion's teachings than another Muslim might.

Reply 11

Catsmeat

13

chefi_1984

What are your perceptions of Muslims in Britain and have they changed since the 7/7 on London? If yes then what is the biggest influence on these perceptions, society, the media or the Governemnt?

Thanks

My first assumption is that the perception of Muslims and of Qu'aranic culture varies depending on region, ethnic background and the degree of interaction. Islam has certainly become the idea behind which much of the National political movement, feminist politics, and racism has formed a bloc against. I consider that many of the Orientalist relations of power that writers such as Said and Abu-Lughod have considered and debated, are being recreated in relation to the "post 9/11" world. I don't consider many of them to be new, as such.

There are varying, often contradictory perceptions of Islam in the west. Some of these are self-congratulatingly feminist; i.e., that the veil is a symbol for the subdued woman, for the patriarchy of Arabic men. Such declamations often forget the role of resistence, of the agency of Islamic women, so that in attempting to "liberate them", it actually turns Muslim women into automatons. However, the same 19th century tropes of the mystical, spiritual and ultimately sexual "East" remain. It's telling that in the west, the idea of the body (that is, the covered body), is considered to be indicative of repression; so against 'western' concepts of the laisez faire body, of sexualisation through clothing (or lack of). Equally, the west, particularly the media, creates a dichotomy of Islam; on on hand, Islam is deep, confusing, that all the world's problems can be resolved through "understanding it" (read the works of the 18th century Sacy or Renan, and you'll see similar concepts). Ultimately, this is something only the benevolent west can do, so we're told. Whilst, on the other hand, it's said to be monolithic, so that we can talk about "the Muslim", as an average, quantifiable entity.

Another author, on writing on the perceptions of the suicide bomber, in particular, has observed how the perception and the reality differ; they are presented as a coherent movement, motivated by God. Often, their matrydom is removed from history; there are no complex socio-political motivations for their actions, and no psychological, subjective motivations, only the enduring capacity of the "Muslim" to "die for God". It's as if the west telescopes all of its ideas about Islam from the crusades in the 12th-15th centuries. Islam, despite being one of the most important, influencial and vastly complex cultural and social movements of the last millennium, despite being in flux, and being involved in the same system of modernisation as the 'post christian west', it's still often, particularly by populist and reactionary media, case as timeless, aggressive and monolithic.

Reply 12

AlexanderGPM

I've never had ill-feelings towards Muslims in this country. I have an Islamic friend whom I have known for a good 10 years. Nothing has changed between me and him since 9/11 or 7/7 and I don't see it changing any time soon. I think a lot of people do not see the fanatical Muslim organisations as part of the moral and decent Muslims living in Britain today.

Reply 13

mire

Gaylei

you dont have to cover up if your a muslim well only your head and arms but not your face?

as long as I know covering up is not even compulsory, look at Turkey and Turkish women. Most of them won't cover up and still are Muslims.

Reply 14

Bmoody

12

From Men in Black- "A person is smart-people are stupid."

If a couple of numskull plumbers attack people in their homes, in a short time people will be saying, "Oh, I understand that not every plumber is bad." Yet when they sit by one on a train you just watch them cringe and look the plumber up and down. Collectively, all the train's passengers will watch and their hair will stand up on the back of their necks as another plumber enters... they will wonder if there is a sick plumber rage group wishing to make them all suffer.
The news will play specials on the history of violent plumbers. Some left wing politicians will say that every plumber is nice, while right wingers call for psych evaluations. Yes, the national debate has begun!
Islam is treated the same way. Just how most know little to nothing about plumbing, they know less about Islam. It's easy for them to say that they think people should be more accepting of Muslims, but I bet they get rather uncomfortable next to them on a train.

Reply 15

Gaylei

13

mire

as long as I know covering up is not even compulsory, look at Turkey and Turkish women. Most of them won't cover up and still are Muslims.

yeah thats true.

Reply 16

In1Su

Holty-Dave

I don't mind but I don't like when they don't intergrate into society and only hang around with other muslims. Do they not want to socialise with me because I'm white? We have all these accusations of racism towards us but I'm prepared to mix in with people regardless of skin colour or culture yet they (majority) seem to only congrigate with other muslims. Why?

This is not true! Many Muslims try to engage with other people but are often left alienated (myself included). To avoid loneliness they often turn to other Muslims.

Let me tell you about a friend of mine's. He was the only Muslim in his English class and was bullied severely. Girls would try to undermine his confidence and make fun of him (calling him ugly etc), namecalling towards him in the class was usual. He was once explicitly asked (the whole class watching) if he "ate anything except curry". This went on for 3 years. The teacher would not even stop it.

Now this would have been a different story had there only been one person doing this, but it was most of the class. Now, isn't he justified in ignoring all other Caucasian Brits and sticking to his own community?

Reply 17

-WhySoSerious?

17

Bah, all I ask is that they stop getting offended over everything. kthx

Reply 18

Holty-Dave

13

In1Su

This is not true! Many Muslims try to engage with other people but are often left alienated (myself included). To avoid loneliness they often turn to other Muslims.

Let me tell you about a friend of mine's. He was the only Muslim in his English class and was bullied severely. Girls would try to undermine his confidence and make fun of him (calling him ugly etc), namecalling towards him in the class was usual. He was once explicitly asked (the whole class watching) if he "ate anything except curry". This went on for 3 years. The teacher would not even stop it.

Now this would have been a different story had there only been one person doing this, but it was most of the class. Now, isn't he justified in ignoring all other Caucasian Brits and sticking to his own community?

I'm just saying this based on people I know from university and stuff who I'm kinda friends with. They don't have any other white friends really and that suggests to me they aren't prepared to mix into our culture but rather be around their own one. I don't like that I'm being prejudged for being white same as you see yourself as being prejudged for being a muslim (assume you are one I don't know).

The thing is I think it is a spiral really, I think racism levels towards muslims would reduce if they intergrated into white society which in turn might make people less prejudice. But they might not want to intergrate if there is racism. I just think they should try mix in better thats all.

Reply 19

Bmoody

12

Being ridiculed is awful, but not keeping up the good fight and trying to make non-Muslim friends is just encouraging fear. I would love to have a Muslim friend and I am white and agnostic.

What is the perception of Muslims in Britain?

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