52% of British Muslims in poll think homosexuality should be illegal

[kindy64]

Gee, I thought everyone in England was just oh so progressive...

http://www.cnn.com/2016/04/11/europe/bri...ms-survey/

More than half of British Muslims (52%) think homosexuality should not be legal, and nearly half (47%) think it is not appropriate for gay people to teach in schools, according to a new survey of British Muslims.

The results have sparked debate about the integration of the Britain's largest religious minority.

[Cuddly]

I find this hard to believe.

"Methodology questioned

The MCB also questioned the methodology of the poll, which was conducted only in areas of relatively high Muslim population density -- where Muslims formed at least 20% of the population.

Choosing specifically to poll in areas that are poor and more religiously conservative skews the results and makes it indicative of these areas and not of British Muslims nationally," the spokeswoman said."

There we go.

[Darius]

I would have guessed higher.

[meridannight]

To have anybody on our planet in our time think that it should be prohibited for someone to love another person is entirely ridiculous and sad. I feel disappointed reading things like this.

[princealbertofb]

Actually that 52% is probably quite a mark down from what it would be in the rest of the Muslim world. So it's not such a bad figure. Not so long ago in Britain, it was about that many British citizens who didn't believe in same sex marriage.

[Doc]

Anyone who is a strict follower cannot believe that homosexuality is ok, its against the teachings. I was/ am a Catholic and the church teaches that it is wrong, its pretty clear cut. But I actually like that at least somebody is still sticking to their beliefs whether they are popular or not. A private club in Georgia denied me entry based on my religion and racial make-up and it only allowed for purely white, non Catholic men. I wasn't offended, at least some people still have standards and it is their right to deny me entry.

[deephiance]

The problem with religion is the written scripts.

Open to interpretation and misinterpretation to further the causes of those with ill intent.

[Doc]

The problem with religion is the written scripts.

Open to interpretation and misinterpretation to further the causes of those with ill intent.

Isnt everything?

[meridannight]

Anyone who is a strict follower cannot believe that homosexuality is ok, its against the teachings. I was/ am a Catholic and the church teaches that it is wrong, its pretty clear cut.

You do realize religion is a man's invention, and as such, everything it 'teaches' is man's invention? Thus you are following what a bunch of regular men thought should be right or not, not some ideals ordained by a higher power of the cosmos. It amounts to the same thing as taking your homophobic neighbor's word as the ultimate truth on the Universe and setting your life by it. Care to live your life like that?

Otherwise, the church, in its early days wasn't even against homosexuality (I wish people who claim to be religious at least educated themselves on the history of their religion, so they wouldn't look fucking ridiculous when they make their incorrect claims). The christian church performed same-sex marriages still around the 10th-11th centuries (so if you had been born as a strict catholic you claim to be in the 11th century the catholic church would have married you and your male partner in matrimony. In the 21st century you can't do that because a bunch of homophobic people thought otherwise in the meantime). Their stance on it was changed by those who came afterward.

Anyone who is a blind or 'strict' follower of anything, be it a religion or something else, is unintelligent. I'm truly surprised how the people in the 21st century are just as ignorant and plain stupid as they were back in 1300. You'd think it would get better with time, but it's not happening. Nothing has changed. Even though we have the best resources at our disposal of all the past times, even though our education is the best there has been since the dawn of man -- people still cling to their superstitions and promote unenlightened ways of life to oppress themselves and other men for no reason at all, other than for some abstract principles that aren't even true. What fucking bullshit.

[Emiliano]

Actually that 52% is probably quite a mark down from what it would be in the rest of the Muslim world. So it's not such a bad figure. Not so long ago in Britain, it was about that many British citizens who didn't believe in same sex marriage.

That's an interesting point to bring up. I don't know much about the Muslim immigrant experience in the U.K., but I've learned a lot about the various waves of immigration in NYC and how no matter what time period we are talking about, or which racial, ethnic, religious group - there is a fear from nativists that the new comers won't integrate or assimilate well and will instead somehow alter or change the existing culture in terrible ways.

But when you look at the groups who were able to find a place and role in the existing society, they adapt well and are the ones to change, rather than force change on the society.

In my opinion, it's when groups are forced to be kept apart, are not allowed a place in society, are discriminated against and marginalized, that's when they radicalized and form their own counter culture in opposition to the main stream one.

I'm sure that the issues surrounding assimilation are not as simple as that, but it's a nice thought that the more new people feel welcome, valuable, and contributing members to a culture, the faster and easier their integration into the values and beliefs that culture holds would be.

There's always bad people of course who have different motives. They can be used to shut down any sort of humanitarian argument I might have. For example, it doesn't matter how kindly and openly colonizers and conquistadors were treated. They still wanted the gold, glory, and spread the word of their god, right?