The CSC is the only organisation to have ever published in-depth research into the extent of radical Muslim opinion in UK universities.
Islam on Campus - published in July 2008 - is the most comprehensive survey ever undertaken of Muslim student opinion in the UK. It is based on a specially commissioned YouGov poll of 1400 students, as well as on fieldwork and interviews.
The
report examines students' attitudes on key issues including religious
tolerance, gender equality and integration. While most Muslim students support
secularism and democratic values, and are generally tolerant towards other
minorities and reject violence in the name of their faith, Islam on Campus
uncovered significant findings:
-
40% of Muslim students polled support the introduction of Sharia into British
law for Muslims.
-
Almost a third (32%) of Muslim students polled said killing in the name of
religion was ever justified. By contrast, just 2% of non-Muslims polled felt
the same way
-
40% of Muslim students polled felt it unacceptable for Muslim men and women to
associate freely.
-
33% of Muslim students polled declared themselves supportive of a worldwide
Islamic Caliphate based on Sharia law.
-
54% of Muslim students polled were supportive of an Islamic political party to
represent the views of Muslims at Parliament.
-
Slightly less than a quarter (24%) of Muslim student respondents do not think
that men and women are equal in the eyes of Allah.
-
6% of Muslim students polled said that converts from Islam should be punished
"in accordance with Sharia law."
-
25% of Muslim students (and 32% of male Muslim students) polled said they had
not very much or no respect at all for homosexuals.
-
66% of Muslim students polled said they had lost respect for the British
government because of the invasion of Iraq.
-
However, 30% of Muslim students polled also said their respect for British
society had increased based on the public's (largely negative) reaction to the
Iraq war.
Islam on Campus also discovered that many
non-Muslim students hold negative attitudes towards Islam while a significant
minority also said they did not respect Muslims:
-
50% of non-Muslim students polled believe that Islam and Western democracy are
incompatible.
-
Non-Muslim students polled were more likely to have little or no respect for
Muslims (9%) than they were of homosexuals (4%), Jews (3%) or atheists (2%).
55%
of non-Muslim students polled believe Islam is incompatible with secularism.
Over
three quarters (76%) of non-Muslim students polled think that men and women are
not considered equal in Islam.
The
full report is available online here.
An
executive summary is available here.
