The Angus Reid poll shows an increase in unfavorable impressions of non-Christian religions in Canada. In 2009, 31% of those polled saw Islam in a favorable light against 24% now, while 35% saw Sikhism in a favorable light then, against 29% now.
Source/Credit: The Wall Street Journal
By Alistair MacDonald | October 3, 2013
Canadians have long prided themselves on an open-armed embrace of different cultures, but when it comes to other religions they appear to be growing less tolerant.
A survey by Vancouver-based pollsters Angus Reid Global shows that more than half of Canadians outside of Quebec, or 54%, view Islam “unfavorably.”’ In Quebec, almost 70% have an unfavorable view of Islam.
And while almost three-quarters of English-speaking Canada hold Christianity in a favorable light, only 44% have a favorable view of Hinduism and even fewer have a favorable view of the Sikh faith.
Canada has officially embraced multiculturalism for decades, winning mostly praise for how it selects and integrates immigrants into a nation which accepts more newcomers than any other in the Group of Seven most advanced economies. But more recently Canadians have been undergoing a bout of soul-searching on the issue of just how tolerant they should be. In a December survey, 70% of respondents said too many immigrants aren’t adopting so-called Canadian values, up from 58% in 2005, according to Environics Institute, a Toronto research group.
Last year’s convictions of three Afghan family members who murdered four relatives they deemed too Westernized also triggered a bout of questions in the Canadian press.
The Angus Reid poll shows an increase in unfavorable impressions of non-Christian religions in Canada. In 2009, 31% of those polled saw Islam in a favorable light against 24% now, while 35% saw Sikhism in a favorable light then, against 29% now.
“The poll does provide a gut check to people who think we live in a utopian collegial society, across religions,” said Shachi Kurl, a vice president at Angus Reid.
The study shows variance within Canada. Quebecers held more unfavorable views of all religions, including Christianity, than the rest of Canada. For instance, while 22% of English speaking Canada has an unfavorable opinion of Judaism, 41% of those in Quebec do.
These numbers come amidst a fierce debate about religious freedom and discrimination in the French-speaking province. Last month, its separatist Parti Quebecois government announced plans for wide-ranging legislation aimed at keeping religion and religious symbols out of the workplace.
Notably, provinces with the most favorable impressions of non-Christian religions were those with the smallest populations of non-Christians–Canada’s Atlantic provinces.
Read original post here: Is Religious Tolerance on the Decline in Canada?
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I'm an Ahmadi Muslim and I know how important religious tolerance is. But I understand why Westerners might have "unfavorable" views on Islam. The people who they see as being representative of Islam are not presenting the TRUE face of the religion. If I happened to be a non-Muslim living in this time, seeing what people see in the media about Muslims, then it's quite possible that I, too would view Islam in a negative light.
ReplyDeleteIt won't be until the True Islam is made more apparent that people's views will change... the time when Ahmadis are the ones who represent Muslims to the world and it is generally accepted. In the wake of the attacks on Christians in recent days, it's hard to not view Muslims negatively -especially for Christians. For most people today, this IS Islam in their eyes.
Us Ahmadis should ignore these polls that show religious tolerance seems to be going down. We shouldn't re-post these because it seems to imply that we're complaining or as if we have no explanation for it. Instead, be grateful that even though there is bigotry, we are still accepted and allowed to practice our religion in the west. Our focus should be on working hard and moving to the forefront of the wonderful religion that has unfortunately been hijacked. Though millions of Muslims may complain that they are not tolerated, we should work with the strength Allah has given us to build resilience, and be the first ones to actually do something about it.