Half of Britons think that Islam is not compatible with British values and four in 10 think Muslim immigrants have a negative impact on the UK, according to new research.
The public views Muslim immigrants as a greater threat to the British way of life than those from other religious groups such as Sikhs or Jews, the poll found.
The findings have been described by a leading British imam as ‘deeply worrying’ and demonstrating ‘high levels of anti-Muslim sentiment’ in the UK.
The Muslim population of the UK grew by more than 150 per cent - from 1.55 million to 4 million - between 2001 and 2021 and census data shows Muslims are the fastest growing minority group.
Muslims accounted for 32 per cent of the overall growth of the UK population between 2011 and 2021 and the last census showed that just 50 per cent of Muslims in Britain are UK-born, suggesting this rise was driven largely by immigration.
