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More young UK Muslims back Sharia: poll

LONDON: Young British Muslims are more likely than their elders to support Sharia law and admire Al Qaeda, but three-fifths of 16-to24-year-olds say they have as much in common with non-Muslims as with Muslims, according to an opinion poll published on Monday.

The poll conducted on December 4-13 by Populus for the Policy Exchange, an independent think tank, found that 37 percent of the 16-24 age groups would prefer Sharia law, compared to 17 percent of those over 55. There was a nearly identical split between age groups on those who would prefer to send their children to Islamic schools supported by the state.

Thirteen percent of the younger group expressed admiration for organisations such as Al Qaeda that “are prepared to fight the West,” compared to three percent of those over 55.

Munira Mirza, the lead author of the report, attributed the difference to government policies. “The emergence of a strong Muslim identity in Britain is, in part, a result of multicultural policies implemented since the 1980s which have emphasised difference at the expense of shared national identity and divided people along ethnic, religious and cultural lines,” she wrote.

The poll found that three-fourths of the sample group – 1,003 participants aged 16 and older – disagreed with a local council’s decision to ban advertising for a Christmas carol service, and 64 percent thought another council was wrong to ban pictures of pigs in its office for fear of offending Muslims.

Poll results for the 16-24 age group, with 209 respondents, had a margin of error of plus or minus seven percentage points, and for the group of 55 people aged 60 and over the margin was plus or minus 10 percentage points. For the entire sample, the margin of error would be plus or minus three percentage points.

“The government should stop emphasizing difference and engage with Muslims as citizens, not though their religious identity,” Mirza wrote. “The Muslim community is not homogenous, and attempts to give group rights or representation will only alienate sections of the population further.” ap

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