Half of Austrians believe Islam a 'threat'

.... How do Austrians perceive Islam? What are their concerns, and how will this perception shape future policies? The survey polled more than 400 respondents in Austria to find out their views.

Generally, according to the survey, Austrians have a limited understanding of the world's second largest religion, consisting of 23 percent of the world's population.

The survey found that 51 percent of Austrians consider Islam a threat to Austrian society, while only 34 percent believe that it represents no threat. Additionally, 50 percent think that Islam is attempting to change Austrian society, with 25 percent thinking that's not the case.

40 percent of Austrians see Islam as a backward religion, as opposed to 27 percent who disagree. [The Local] Read more

57 percent of Germans feel Islam is a threat: poll

The survey was carried out in November - before the massacre of journalists in Paris by Islamist gunmen - but as the numbers attending anti-Muslim rallies in Dresden and other cities began to escalate.

The Bertelsman Foundation think tank survey looked at the perception of Islam in Germany from the eyes of Muslims and non-Muslims. Of the non-Muslims surveyed, 57 percent thought that Islam was threatening or very threatening to German society.

TNS Emnid, which conducted the survey for the Bertelsman Foundation think tank, said it's a rise of four percent since 2012 when the study was last conducted. The research institute surveyed 937 non-Muslim Germans for the survey in November 2014. [The Local] Read more

Survey finds one in three Germans supports PEGIDA 'anti-Islamization' marches

An opinion poll has found that one in eight Germans would join a march against "Islamization" if one were held in their hometown. A series of rallies in the city of Dresden have drawn growing numbers, with more planned.

The poll of 1,006 people by German newsmagazine Stern found that 13 percent would attend an "anti-Islamization" march if it were held near their home.

The survey, while small, does show a level of support for the weekly rallies being held in the eastern city of Dresden, one of which attracted more than 17,000 people in the days before Christmas.

It also found that 29 percent of people thought the marches by the group PEGIDA, which translates to "Patriotic Europeans against the Islamization of the West," were justified because of the degree of influence that Islam was having on life in Germany. [Deutsche Welle] Read more

Media - Contents

Published research on the Media’s coverage of Islam and Muslims. This post lists and links to all the other posts on this subject

"Islamophobia" in the Media - The Missing Pieces
Written evidence submitted to the All Party Parliamentary Group on Islamophobia By Islam Surveyed, December 2013.

Pointing the Finger: Islam and Muslims in the British Media
Edited by Julian Petley and Robin Richardson. Published by Oneworld Publications 2011.
This book is a rehash of research done between May 2006 and April 2007 for the GLA and the then Mayor of London (Ken Livingstone) and in early 2008 by the Cardiff School of Journalism.

Islamophobia & the British Press
A Briefing on Islamophobia & the British Press - Sources, Basic Facts & the Wrong Questions
The Media, in particular, the British Press, is blamed for Islamophobia. It continually publishes bad news and critical comment on Islam and Muslims.

Islamophobia and Anti-Muslim Hate Crime
A Review: Islamophobia and Anti-Muslim Hate Crime: UK case studies 2010 - An introduction to a ten year Europe-wide research project
By Robert Lambert and Jonathan Githens-Mazer. Published by European Muslim Research Centre (EMRC), University of Exeter

Objections to the Media
Muslims often complain that the media is unfair to them. They say: (a) The mainstream media is biased, putting the worst possible light on things and even making up stories; (b) Not all Muslims are the same and the media creates a negative sterotype.
The Media is even one of the main causes of Islamophobia. Various books and studies push this idea.

Common Ground or Not
The Greater London Authority (while Ken Livingstone was mayor) published a study entitled, The search for common ground: Muslims, non-Muslims and the UK media.

The Disturbing Heroes of Dutch Muslim Youth

.... or hundreds of thousands of Dutch youth, the heroes of the day are neither film stars nor comedians: they are the jihadists of the Islamic State.

That is the result of a recent study by Dutch research company Motivaction, which found that 90 percent of Dutch Turks ages 18-35 consider the Islamic State (IS or ISIS) members heroes, and enthusiastically support their friends and neighbors who travel to Syria to join them. And 48 percent of Holland's 18-35-year-old Moroccan immigrants agree.

(For reference, the latest official figures count more than 368,000 Moroccan immigrants – first and second generation – in the Netherlands, and more than 395,000 Turks in a national population numbering 16.8 million.) [IPT News] Read more

Jihad Is Fine? So Says 80 Percent of Holland’s Young Turkish Muslims

Is the Netherlands becoming a netherworld of Islamic extremism? If a new poll can be believed, this very well may be the case.

The research, conducted by the Motivaction group in Amsterdam, concerns the attitude of Dutch Turks between the ages of 18 and 34 about the Islamic State (also known as ISIS) and found that “80% saw nothing wrong in jihad, or holy war, against non-believers,” writes DutchNews.nl.

The website also reports, “The survey found 90% of young Turks think those fighting against Syrian president Assad’s troops are ‘heroes’ and half thought it would be a good thing if Dutch Muslims went to join the fight.”

The reaction by Dutch politicians has been swift and unsure. During a Wednesday debate on integration, Dutch members of parliament (MPs) “from across the political spectrum,” writes Dutch News, “called for more research … to investigate why youths have such radical views.” [The New American] Read more

Young Dutch Turks’ radical views worry MPs, call for more research

MPs from across the political spectrum have called for more research into the attitudes of young Dutch Turks to the Islamic State, after a poll of 300 showed 80% saw nothing wrong in jihad, or holy war, against non-believers.

The research, carried out by the Motivaction group in Amsterdam, was commissioned by the Forum multicultural institute. During a parliamentary debate on integration issues on Wednesday, Socialist, D66 and CDA MPs called for a special sitting to investigate why youths have such radical views, website nu.nl reports.

The survey found 90% of young Turks think those fighting against Syrian president Assad’s troops are ‘heroes’ and half thought it would be a good thing if Dutch Muslims went to join the fight. Social affairs minister Lodewijk Asscher told website nu.nl on Tuesday the results of the survey were ‘worrying’ and pledged to carry out more in-depth research. [DutchNews.nl] Read more