The failed car bomb attacks on London’s West End and Glasgow airport have given Islam in particular and religion in general a bad name, according to new research published by Theos, the public theology think tank.
In an opinion poll conducted since the failed attacks at the end of June, more than seven in ten people (71%) said that the planned attacks have given Islam a bad name. A majority - 54% - also thought that the attacks have damaged the reputation of religion in general.
Despite this, many people retain a positive view of religion in public life. Whilst 17% of people said that recent events have damaged their view about the role of religion in society, 45% said that they were unchanged in their belief that religion is a force for good in Britain. Similarly, the majority of people remain positive about the nature of Islam, with nearly four times as many saying that they believe it to be fundamentally a religion of peace rather than of war - 60% and 17% respectively.
Surprisingly perhaps, young people are the group most likely to view Islam as a violent religion. 28% of 18-24 year olds believe that Islam is fundamentally a religion of war which sits uneasily with modern Western culture, compared with 17% of the population overall and only 13% of those aged 65+. Less than half of all 18-24 year olds (48%) see it as a religion of peace, compared with 60% or over for every other age group.
Despite the Glasgow Airport bombing, Scots are the most positive of all regions towards Islam. Only 7% regard it as warlike, while 69% do not.
Commenting on the results of the research, Director of Theos, Paul Woolley said:
"Despite the failed car bomb attacks, 60% of people believe that Islam is fundamentally a religion of peace. The swift condemnation of the attacks and the active stance taken by Muslim leaders against extremism has clearly helped to build confidence and national solidarity.
“The trend that will alarm the Government and community groups most is that young people, who are generally more positive about spirituality, are so much more negative about Islam than the population as a whole.
“In terms of the future relationship between Islam and Britain, this is the most significant trend identified in the research. This is something that we should be concerned about if we are to foster social cohesion and avoid any ‘clash of civilisations’. We need to build opportunities for mutual understanding and co-operation and avoid simplistic and knee-jerk reactions.”
CommunicateResearch telephoned 1001 GB adults between 6 and 8 July 2007. Data were weighted to be representative of all GB adults. CommunicateResearch is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules (www.britishpollingcouncil.org).
To read the research in full, click here.
