Poll: Canadians most likely to be okay with a Muslim neighbor

[Gabu]

I found this kind of interesting, so I thought I'd share:

Canadians object least to Muslim neighbour
Randy Boswell, CanWest News Service
Published: Wednesday, February 07, 2007

Canadians are least likely among citizens of 23 western countries to have bigoted attitudes toward Muslims, according to a new international study that measured the level of “Islamophobia” in each nation.

More than 32,000 respondents from 19 European countries, plus Canada, the U.S., Australia and New Zealand, were asked the question: “Would you like to have a person from this group as your neighbour?”

Of the nearly 2,000 people surveyed in Canada only 6.5 per cent said they would not like to live beside a Muslim. Respondents in Greece (20.9 per cent), Belgium (19.8), Norway (19.3) and Finland (18.9) were most likely to answer “No” to the question.

Results in Britain and the U.S. were 14.1 per cent and 10.9 per cent respectively, and the average percentage of negative responses across all western countries was 14.5 per cent.

Despite the West’s “reputation for liberalism, there can be little doubt that, in the past decade or so in western countries, there is an increasing awareness of, and a hardening of attitudes towards, people who are ‘different,’” argue the study’s co-authors, economists Vani Borooah of the University of Ulster in Northern Ireland and John Mangan of the University of Queensland in Australia.

“Arguments about the Muslim veil in Britain, and the headscarf in France, are part of a wider debate ... about the erosion of national identity through the steady drip of special demands predicated on tolerance for cultural diversity,” the authors state in the paper titled Love Thy Neighbour: How Much Bigotry Is There In Western Countries? to be published in the journal Kyklos, International Review for Social Sciences.

Salma Siddiqui, an official with the Toronto-based Muslim Canadian Congress, told CanWest News Service on Wednesday that the survey results reflect the fact that “Canada is a very tolerant nation.

“We are lucky to be living in a country that recognizes all human rights,” she said.

The Quebec town of Herouxville has made news around the world recently after adopting a controversial code of conduct that welcomes newcomers to the municipality of 1,300, but explicitly warns that its residents will not tolerate alien cultural practices such as stoning or burning women or forcing them to wear a veil.

Some Muslim groups, arguing that the town’s expression of community “norms” is specifically and unnecessarily targeting certain Muslims, have threatened to lodge a formal complaint with Quebec’s human rights commission.

Siddiqui said the MCC, which has campaigned against the use by Muslim women of the full face-covering veil known as a niqab, does not oppose the Herouxville declaration.

“When someone says ‘I want to see your face,’ I don’t think that’s going out of line,” she said.

The Love Thy Neighbour study also gauged the level of intolerance in each country for four other groups: immigrants in general, people of another race, Jews and homosexuals.

Canadians ranked among the most tolerant nations in each of those categories, as well. Fewer than five per cent of respondents from Canada said they wouldn’t want to have a neighbour who is Jewish, an immigrant or of a different race.

Homosexuals were more likely than any other group — in Canada and nearly every other country — to be shunned by a potential neighbour. Just over 17 per cent of Canadians said they would not want a gay person living next door; the overall percentage for western nations was 19.6, with Italy (28.7) and Sweden (six per cent) at the opposite ends of the range.

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Link to story

[Hatman 🍁]

I read this today in the National Post. What's funny is, I have muslim and gay neighbours (different homes)

[Gabu]

I read this today in the National Post. What's funny is, I have muslim and gay neighbours (different homes)

That's an interesting combination.  Do they get along?

[Hatman 🍁]

I read this today in the National Post. What's funny is, I have muslim and gay neighbours (different homes)

That's an interesting combination.  Do they get along?

I guess.  The muslims are nice, but reclusive to a degree (although, perhaps we're reclusive towards them). They have given us Christmas gifts a couple of times, but that's it. The gay couple are very nice, and are good friends of my parents. They will look after our house when we leave on vacation and vice/versa. They will often buy us cheese.

I also have Italian neighbours too. How's that for eclectic?

[Gabu]

All you need now is a Chinese couple and a black couple and you'll have an advertising poster.

[Hatman 🍁]

All you need now is a Chinese couple and a black couple and you'll have an advertising poster.

There are bangladeshis down the street. Does that count?

[Platypus]

Chinese Malaysian family, a-c yuppies from Sydney, an older a-c man, an older a-c woman, an older a-c couple, a pom and his Italian partner, an a-c man and his much younger Filipino wife, a couple of frenchies and as of recently a family from Hong Kong. No gays or muslims though.

[Gustaf]

My neighbourhood is all pretty much native Swedes. We did have an American family, in which the dad was sent out from his company to take care of something in Sweden. But I guess that doesn't count. We have crazy people though.

Funny to note that the US is more tolerant towards Muslims than Europe. Who could have guessed...

[Undisguised Sockpuppet]

Funny to note that the US is more tolerant towards Muslims than Europe. Who could have guessed...

We assimilate our immigrants

[angus]

Canadians object least to Muslim neighbour

nor, apparently, do they object to that archaic spelling of the word neighbor.

but then again Canada calls itself a country yet it manages to put the Queen of another country on its currency.

Ah, well, anyway, why should anyone not be "okay" with a muslim neighbor?  On the one hand the US result is disturbing, and in fact does point to some hard prejudism in this country.  Still, it isn't surpring.  I'm quite certain if you'd asked, "Are you okay with a n living next door to you?" the percentage of negative responses would be higher.  Of course, it probably depends on the noun you actually choose to describe the demographic group, and I chose that one very carefully.  But then, the noun Muslim was no doubt chosen carefully as well. 

Actually, I wonder if you substituted the word pedophile for Muslim, would the negative response be higher yet.  I bet it's hard to beat "pedophile" for socially acceptable targets of organized bigotry.  I have a hard time, in fact, thinking of any other group besides maybe Jews in late 30s Germany, that you could exploit as a perfect public scapegoat.

That said, 10.9 ain't zero.  And my guess is that there are more than a few political organizations looking for ways to exploit that number as a winning campaign strategy.

[Hatman 🍁]

Canadians object least to Muslim neighbour

nor, apparently, do they object to that archaic spelling of the word neighbor.

Some of us do object to spelling words like that incorrectly (i.e. the "American" way) though

[angus]

Some of us do object to spelling words like that incorrectly (i.e. the "American" way) though

LOL.  I have to admit, if you asked me whether I'm "okay with a Muslim neighbor" I'd be typically verbose.  I tend to be an overanalytical windbag.  (Well, you jerk, I'm okay with a quiet Muslim librarian next door.  I'm okay with a really hot Muslim chick next door who comes over every morning at 9:30 and blows me.  I'm okay with a quiet Muslim family who leaves me alone living next door.  I'm not okay with a loud, noisy, obnoxious, Muslim neighbor who drains his oil into the sewer supply four times a year and mows the lawn at 7:00 on a saturday morning.  See what I mean?  Now, get the fck off of my front porch.)  What a stupid fcking question. 

But there's no surprise, among folks from normal, nationalistic places like France, USA, or Greece, that Canadians are "most likely to be okay with" whatever, anyone, living next door.  Canadians pride themselves on this sort of stuff, in fact.  Especially those living in the United States.  And there are many.  Even if you ask a Canadian, "Are you okay with a guy who kicks you in the balls every morning as your neighbor?" the Canadian says, "Eh, okay, sure."  That's the stereotype of a Canadian.  And everyone knows it.  I just couldn't resist the comment, given, especially, that a canadian posted this unsurprising result.

But yeah, the rest of the world are full of hatemongers and jackasses and Canadians are so sweet and cute and cuddly.  You guys are such wimps you can't even get the fcking English Queen off yer money.  That's what's so goddamned funny.  Gabu's post is pretty much the opposite of irony.  So no one is really surprised.

No offense, eh.

[Hatman 🍁]

Some of us do object to spelling words like that incorrectly (i.e. the "American" way) though

LOL.  I have to admit, if you asked me whether I'm "okay with a Muslim neighbor" I'd be typically verbose.  I tend to be an overanalytical windbag.  (Well, you jerk, I'm okay with a quiet Muslim librarian next door.  I'm okay with a really hot Muslim chick next door who comes over every morning at 9:30 and blows me.  I'm okay with a quiet Muslim family who leaves me alone living next door.  I'm not okay with a loud, noisy, obnoxious, Muslim neighbor who drains his oil into the sewer supply four times a year and mows the lawn at 7:00 on a saturday morning.  See what I mean?  Now, get the fck off of my front porch.)  What a stupid fcking question. 

But there's no surprise, among folks from normal, nationalistic places like France, USA, or Greece, that Canadians are "most likely to be okay with" whatever, anyone, living next door.  Canadians pride themselves on this sort of stuff, in fact.  Especially those living in the United States.  And there are many.  Even if you ask a Canadian, "Are you okay with a guy who kicks you in the balls every morning as your neighbor?" the Canadian says, "Eh, okay, sure."  That's the stereotype of a Canadian.  And everyone knows it.  I just couldn't resist the comment, given, especially, that a canadian posted this unsurprising result.

But yeah, the rest of the world are full of hatemongers and jackasses and Canadians are so sweet and cute and cuddly.  You guys are such wimps you can't even get the fcking English Queen off yer money.  That's what's so goddamned funny.  Gabu's post is pretty much the opposite of irony.  So no one is really surprised.

No offense, eh.

Go  fuck yourself

[angus]

Now, that's more like it. 

[Gustaf]

They did a thing like this for many groups in Sweden and the the one that fewest people wanted as neighbours were gypsies. (with Jews last) I think 1% objected to Jews and 25% to gypsies.

[merseysider]

I've always had the impression that Canada, with the exception of a few rural backwaters, is probably one of the most politically-correct countries in the world. This would certainly back that up.

[Hatman 🍁]

I've always had the impression that Canada, with the exception of a few rural backwaters, is probably one of the most politically-correct countries in the world. This would certainly back that up.

While certainly not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, I'd have to agree with you on that.

[Serenity Now]

Funny to note that the US is more tolerant towards Muslims than Europe. Who could have guessed...

We assimilate our immigrants

I think integrate is the word you're looking for..

[Serenity Now]

There are a fair few Muslims in my neighbourhood (according to the census there's a sizeable Bangladeshi community) but nobody really knows each other that well where I live, there's a very transient population (including a LOT of squatters) and there's no front lawns of whatever and the streets are very busy..

[angus]

yada yada

long boring meeting

yada yada

fraternities.  sororities.  you know how they are.

blahblahblahblah...PC horseshït. 

yada yada yada

[Verily]

Most liberal arts colleges in the US have now banned fraternities and sororities, too, FWIW.

[they don't love you like i love you]

I'd like to see this poll in Armenia.

That said, I have Muslims living on my apartment's floor, and I'm fine with it.

[Gabu]

Results in ... the U.S. were ... 10.9 per cent.

Making them actually one of the lowest in terms of answering "no".

[Verily]

Results in ... the U.S. were ... 10.9 per cent.

Making them actually one of the lowest in terms of answering "no".

Armenia, not America.

[Gabu]

Results in ... the U.S. were ... 10.9 per cent.

Making them actually one of the lowest in terms of answering "no".

Armenia, not America.

Oh, oops.