Nearly Half of Canadians View Islam Unfavorably, Survey Finds

TEHRAN (IQNA) – Even though Canada has been praised for its religious and culture diversity, almost half of Canadians view Islam in an unfavorable light compared to other faiths, according to a new survey.

The Angus Reid Institute released results Tuesday on how Canadians view various faiths and religious symbolism in society.

The study found that 46 per cent of Canadians view Islam and clothing associated with the religion unfavorably compared to how they view other religions to likes of Christianity and Buddhism.

In terms of wearing religious grab in public, 88 per cent of those surveyed supported a person wearing the nun`s habit or a turban (77 per cent) compared to those wearing a niqab (32 per cent) or a burka (29 per cent).

However, the survey noted that more people are beginning to view Islam in a more favorable light, with Quebec residents leading the way.

According to the survey, those in Quebec who say they view the Islam faith more favorably has more than doubled since 2009, jump from 15 per cent to 32 per cent. More Quebecers are also seeing Sikhism (32 per cent) and Hinduism (50 per cent) in a more positive light.

The survey was conducted online between February 16 and 22, just over two weeks after Alexandre Bissonnette opened fire inside a Quebec City mosque killing six men during evening prayers.

Angus Reid Institute executive director Shachi Kurl suggested the deadly mosque attack may have contributed to an increase in support of the Muslim religion.

"Quebecers themselves were very shaken by the event, we did see leadership come out very quickly,” Kurl said. "We saw Premier Philippe Couillard, the mayor and others come out very strongly and say Muslims are Quebecers we are all in this together. Messages of harmony, messages of support and togetherness for the Muslim community.”

Couillard quickly condemned the attack, telling the Quebec’s Muslim community: "We are with you, this is your home, we are all Quebecers.”

As for the rest of Canada, the survey noted that one-in-three Canadians viewed Islam favorably, an increase compared to the Angus Reid Institute’s findings in the 2013, when only one quarter of Canadians viewed the faith in a favorable light. Christianity is still viewed the most favorably among 68 per cent of the survey respondents.

Source: Global News