Survey of Canadian Muslims reveals major concerns

By Sierra Rayne, AMERICAN THINKER

Far from being benign, or even positive, as some commentators in the liberal media claim, a new survey of Canadian Muslims should give many pause for thought.

Keep in mind that there are already more than one million Muslims in Canada, and their rate of population growth is doubling every 10 years, meaning that — if century-long trends continue — Canada will be a majority Muslim nation by 2050. Since the last census of the Muslim population was in 2011, the current number is likely in the neighborhood of 1.5 million, or more than 4% of the total population.

It is clear that Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party of Canada is the political home for Muslims. Among those surveyed, 65% said they voted for Trudeau, versus 10% voting for the far left NDP and 2% for the Conservatives. Since 21% of respondents refused to answer how they voted, if we normalize the voting preferences among those answering the question, then almost 85% of Muslims voted Liberal.

A majority (50%) of Muslims said being a Muslim was the most important part of their personal identity, far more than the percentage saying that being a Canadian was most important (15%). For non-Muslims in Canada, the loyalty is reversed — with 43% of non-Muslims stating that being Canadian is most important versus their religious following (28%).

Another majority (52%) of the Canadian Muslim population say they are worried about violent extremism among their ranks, a percentage that is effectively unchanged from 2006. Conversely, only 40% say they are either not worried or only a little worried about the radicalization of their community.

When asked whether they want to adopt Canadian customs or remain distinct, just 53% of Muslims indicated they wanted to adopt Canadian customs, meaning the remaining 47% do not clearly want to adopt Canadian customs. The number saying they want to adopt Canadian customs has declined from 55% to 53% over the past decade, showing a trend away from assimilation.

A full 75% of Canadian Muslims believe they should have the right to pray in public schools, which violates the separation of church and state and also leads to large costs for renovations as these public facilities are forced to accommodate the corresponding demands for space and facilities. For example, the University of Regina recently spent $35,000 in scarce public funding to install foot-washing stations for Muslim students.

When asked whether they agree or disagree with the statement that “[t]he father in the family must be master in his own house,” 40% of Canadian Muslims agreed and only 32% totally disagreed. By comparison, among non-Muslims in Canada, just 21% agree with the view of a patriarchy.

Nearly half (43%) of Muslims feel that homosexuality should not be accepted by society, and just 36% say it should be accepted.

Around 7% of Canadian Muslims feel that at least some, and perhaps most/many, Muslims in their community support violent extremists abroad. Given the large domestic population of Muslims, these numbers should cause alarm.

Far from being benign, or even positive, as some commentators in the liberal media claim, a new survey of Canadian Muslims should give many pause for thought.

Keep in mind that there are already more than one million Muslims in Canada, and their rate of population growth is doubling every 10 years, meaning that — if century-long trends continue — Canada will be a majority Muslim nation by 2050. Since the last census of the Muslim population was in 2011, the current number is likely in the neighborhood of 1.5 million, or more than 4% of the total population.

It is clear that Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party of Canada is the political home for Muslims. Among those surveyed, 65% said they voted for Trudeau, versus 10% voting for the far left NDP and 2% for the Conservatives. Since 21% of respondents refused to answer how they voted, if we normalize the voting preferences among those answering the question, then almost 85% of Muslims voted Liberal.

A majority (50%) of Muslims said being a Muslim was the most important part of their personal identity, far more than the percentage saying that being a Canadian was most important (15%). For non-Muslims in Canada, the loyalty is reversed — with 43% of non-Muslims stating that being Canadian is most important versus their religious following (28%).

Another majority (52%) of the Canadian Muslim population say they are worried about violent extremism among their ranks, a percentage that is effectively unchanged from 2006. Conversely, only 40% say they are either not worried or only a little worried about the radicalization of their community.

When asked whether they want to adopt Canadian customs or remain distinct, just 53% of Muslims indicated they wanted to adopt Canadian customs, meaning the remaining 47% do not clearly want to adopt Canadian customs. The number saying they want to adopt Canadian customs has declined from 55% to 53% over the past decade, showing a trend away from assimilation.

A full 75% of Canadian Muslims believe they should have the right to pray in public schools, which violates the separation of church and state and also leads to large costs for renovations as these public facilities are forced to accommodate the corresponding demands for space and facilities. For example, the University of Regina recently spent $35,000 in scarce public funding to install foot-washing stations for Muslim students.

When asked whether they agree or disagree with the statement that “[t]he father in the family must be master in his own house,” 40% of Canadian Muslims agreed and only 32% totally disagreed. By comparison, among non-Muslims in Canada, just 21% agree with the view of a patriarchy.

Nearly half (43%) of Muslims feel that homosexuality should not be accepted by society, and just 36% say it should be accepted.

Around 7% of Canadian Muslims feel that at least some, and perhaps most/many, Muslims in their community support violent extremists abroad. Given the large domestic population of Muslims, these numbers should cause alarm.

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