Muslim students more liberal and tolerant
A Home Office funded study has found that Muslim pupils are more liberal and tolerant than non Muslim pupils. The research was carried out across 400 15-year olds by Lancaster University after the 2001 Burnley riots.
Dr Andrew Holden carried out the research, by speaking to students from three schools in Burnley and Blackburn. One had mainly white pupils (School A), one mainly Asian students (School B) and the third a mixture (School C).
He found that 8% of pupils at school A and 12% in School C expressed an interest in finding out about other people's religious beliefs, compared to 42% at the mainly Asian school.
Dr Holden said: "The greater degree of racial tolerance in an overwhelming Asian/Muslim populated school again calls into question the common sense assumption that mixed schools represent more tolerant environments." He also said that the survey had highlighted the fragility of the British identity.
The findings contradict the view in some parts of the media that Asian pupils are in danger of falling into the hands of extremists.
Nearly a third of the white pupils believed that one race was superior to another compared with a tenth in the Asian school and under a fifth in the mixed school.
“The greater degree of racial tolerance in an overwhelmingly Asian/Muslim populated school again calls into question the common sense assumption that mixed schools represent the most tolerant environments.”
In contrast, almost half of the white pupils felt that respecting others regardless of religion was not important and a quarter did not feel it was important to tolerate people with different views.
Dr Holden said most pupils at the mainly Muslim school were well integrated and loyal to the UK.
“The overwhelming majority supported liberal democratic values such as showing respect for others, freedom of speech, being friendly to people from other religious and ethnic groups and tolerating those with different views.”
See the full report here
Dr Andrew Holden carried out the research, by speaking to students from three schools in Burnley and Blackburn. One had mainly white pupils (School A), one mainly Asian students (School B) and the third a mixture (School C).
He found that 8% of pupils at school A and 12% in School C expressed an interest in finding out about other people's religious beliefs, compared to 42% at the mainly Asian school.
Dr Holden said: "The greater degree of racial tolerance in an overwhelming Asian/Muslim populated school again calls into question the common sense assumption that mixed schools represent more tolerant environments." He also said that the survey had highlighted the fragility of the British identity.
The findings contradict the view in some parts of the media that Asian pupils are in danger of falling into the hands of extremists.
Nearly a third of the white pupils believed that one race was superior to another compared with a tenth in the Asian school and under a fifth in the mixed school.
“The greater degree of racial tolerance in an overwhelmingly Asian/Muslim populated school again calls into question the common sense assumption that mixed schools represent the most tolerant environments.”
In contrast, almost half of the white pupils felt that respecting others regardless of religion was not important and a quarter did not feel it was important to tolerate people with different views.
Dr Holden said most pupils at the mainly Muslim school were well integrated and loyal to the UK.
“The overwhelming majority supported liberal democratic values such as showing respect for others, freedom of speech, being friendly to people from other religious and ethnic groups and tolerating those with different views.”
See the full report here
posted by Shelina Zahra Janmohamed at 13:35
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