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How ordinary people view Muslim group rights in Britain the Netherlands France and Germany significant gaps between majorities and Muslims.pdf (1.59 MB)

How ordinary people view Muslim group rights in Britain, the Netherlands, France and Germany: significant ‘gaps’ between majorities and Muslims?

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journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-09, 05:35 authored by Paul StathamPaul Statham
Taking four countries—Britain, the Netherlands, France and Germany—with distinct state approaches and public debates over accommodating Muslims, we study the views of ordinary people from the majority and Muslim populations on Muslim group rights. We compare their responses to questions on mosque-building, teachers wearing religious symbols, and religious classes in schools, to determine whether there is a significant ‘gap’ between the majority and Muslim minorities. We find highly significant ‘gaps’ between the majorities and Muslims over Muslim group rights in all countries, with the majorities less supportive. Importantly, it is a shift by the majority population against Muslim group rights that produces this ‘gap’ as the question moves from provision for Christians to Muslims, while Muslims hold similar views over rights for Christians and their own religion. In Britain and Germany, the two countries where church/state relations privilege Christianity over other religions, majorities especially support Christian over Muslim group rights. The British findings are remarkable, because a country which substantially grants and has the most supportive public debate for Muslim group rights, produces the largest ‘gaps’ between its majority and Muslims. We think this is due to political context, where in contrast to the Netherlands, there is no outlet for political opposition to Muslim group rights.

Funding

EURISLAM; EUF7; SSH-2007-3.3.1 215863

History

Publication status

  • Published

File Version

  • Published version

Journal

Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies

ISSN

1369-183X

Publisher

Taylor & Francis

Issue

2

Volume

42

Page range

217-236

Department affiliated with

  • International Development Publications

Research groups affiliated with

  • Sussex Centre for Migration Research Publications

Full text available

  • Yes

Peer reviewed?

  • Yes

Legacy Posted Date

2017-03-31

First Open Access (FOA) Date

2021-03-04

First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date

2021-03-04

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