A new poll by YouGov and the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community has found that most of the British public believes that Islam is not compatible with British values. The poll comes as the 59th Jalsa Salana, the UK’s largest annual Muslim Convention, commences with over 40,000 Muslims expected from more than 200 countries.
The Caliph and Worldwide Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community will hoist the black and white flag of the Community alongside the Union Flag to inaugurate the gathering. Both flags will wave side-by-side in order to demonstrate that there is no contradiction for Muslims in being loyal to both their faith and nation.
The poll results show a stark disparity between the number of people who view Muslim immigrants negatively (41%) compared to Christians (7%), Jews (13%), Sikhs (14%) and Hindus (15%).
The Caliph, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, who will be giving the keynote address at the Jalsa Salana, has said: “Many local people are afraid that their societies are changing beyond comprehension and they feel that their nation’s resources are being disproportionately utilised in favour of immigrants. Whilst the term ‘immigrant’ is used, the real issue for most people is ‘Islam’.”
Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad further stated: “A well-known saying of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is that ‘love for one’s nation is a part of one’s faith’. Given this, how can it be suggested that true Muslims are not loyal citizens or likely to sow seeds of division in society? I believe integration requires an immigrant to always seek the betterment of his adopted nation, to be ready for all sacrifices for it and to endeavour to serve his people with sincerity.”
The survey also found that most Brits (53%) do not think Islam is compatible with British values, and nearly one-third (31%) believe Islam encourages violence against non-Muslims.
Hundreds of non-Muslims will also attend the Jalsa. Organisers are seeking to counter misconceptions as they believe the worrying attitudes are a result of misinformation about the religion through harmful media narratives and social media discourse.
One positive finding from the survey is a clear generational shift in attitudes toward Islam, with younger people far less suspicious than older generations. Among 18–24-year-olds, 46% see Islam as compatible with British values (vs. 14% of over-65s), and only 14% think it encourages violence against non-Muslims, compared to 40% of over-65s.
The results also show that nearly half (49%) of Britons believe that Muslim women are pressured into wearing the hijab.
President of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Women’s Association, Dr Qurratul-Ain Anni Rehman, who has been overseeing the arrangements for the 20,000 women attending the Jalsa Salana, said:
“The findings of the survey reflect prevailing misconceptions about Muslim women. Wearing the Hijab is a personal choice for Muslim women, who feel empowered by it. The Hijab is not worn out of pressure or coercion, but is a conscious personal choice. At Jalsa Salana, we welcome 20,000 Muslim women from the UK and abroad. Many of them are professionals, working as doctors, teachers, and lawyers; others are homemakers. They wear the Hijab with pride, as a symbol of modesty and devotion to God.”
The organisers plan to distribute hundreds of packets of fresh roti breads, cooked on site for the conference, to food banks across the UK, as part of the “Bread for Britain” campaign on Sunday.
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