Friday 6 March 2009

Research and Commentary

Bess Twiston Davies , Faith Central, Times Online, Why are US Muslims happier than those in the UK?, 3 Mar 09 " ... 41 per cent of Muslims overall in America class themselves as thriving as compared to a mere 7 per cent in the UK."

Refers to AFP, Report on Muslim Americans chips away at myths about Islam, 3 Mar 09

Also Zahed Amanullah, Guardian, Comment is Free Thriving in America?, 3 Mar 09 "It's easy to jump on Britain's 7% figure and extrapolate many unsavoury things about British Muslim life. Yet the sense of tension here, even compared to post-9/11 America, is palpable. At the risk of echoing Barack Obama's worst campaign gaffe, people may cling to religion, culture, and the proximity of their families in these circumstances. Even then, British Muslims have thrived in demonstrable ways – in literature, music, politics, and business. How one feels about "thriving" (as the figures from Bangladesh show) is relative. I feel I'm thriving here, too."

This in turn pointed me to the site of the Gallup Center for Muslim Studies, which I haven't looked at for some time. There's some useful research material on this in relation to this blog:

Muslims in Berlin, London and Paris PDF

London Muslims PDF