EU: Germans most critical of Islam
Germans are much more critical of Islam than other European countries. Sociologist Detlef Pollack of the University of Münster conducted a survey "Religion and Politics", and interviewed 1000 people in Germany, Denmark, France, the Netherlands and Portugal about their attitudes towards Islam.
The study showed that 40% of West-Germans and 50% of East Germans feel threatened by foreign cultures. Less than 5% of the Germans say that Islam is tolerant, compared to more than 20% of the Danes, French and Dutch say that Islam is tolerant. Although those countries have violent conflicts with their Muslim minorities, a clear majority had a positive image of Muslims. In West-Germany, only 34% had a positive opinion of Muslims, and in East Germany, only 26%.
Most Germans saw nothing positive about Islam, says Pollack. Fewer than 30% in West Germany and 20% in East Germany supported building mosques. There was even less agreement to building minarets or introducing Muslim holidays. In contrast, more than 50% supported building mosques in Denmark, around 66% supported mosques in France and the Netherlands, and in Portugal, almost 75% agreed.Source: Zeit Online (German)
