One in four French Muslims SUPPORT burka, survey finds
A POLL has revealed that around one in four French Muslims support the wearing of the burka and 80 per cent believe public school canteens should offer halal options.
A quarter of French Muslims support the wearing of the full veil
The survey, which was carried out by Ifop for a major study of French Muslims by the Institut Montaigue, a liberal think tank, showed that the majority of Muslims accept curbs on religion in public.
The right to wear the headscarf and access to halal food both had support among all Muslims.
Six in ten of those surveyed said that girls should be allowed to wear headscarves in school.
The report grouped Muslims into three sections
Six in ten of those surveyed said that girls should be allowed to wear headscarves in school
In 2004, the headscarf and other religious symbols were banished from the classroom.
Around one in four, 24 per cent, supported the wearing of the burka and niqab, which are the full-face veils that were banned in public places in 2010.
The survey asked 1,029 people and was published in Le Journal du Dimanche. It was carried out between April 13 and May 23 before this summer’s controversy over the banning of the burkini.
The report grouped French Muslims into three categories, completely secular, devout but accepting restrictions on religion in the public domain and a reactionary group that uses Islam to revolt.
The survey found the people who used Islam to revolt were were mostly low-skilled people living on the outskirts of cities.
The report said: “Islam is for them a way of asserting themselves on the margins of French society.”
France has the highest population of Muslims in Western Europe
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Most people in that group approved of the burka and of polygamy, which is permitted by Islam.
The study revealed many Muslims do not attend a mosque, with only 29 per cent of Muslims attending a mosque regularly.
Many Muslims believe that halal should be an option in schools
It showed in some cases Muslim women can be more conservative than men with 56 per cent of women saying they would attend a mixed swimming pool, compared to 75 per cent of men.
France has Western Europe’s biggest Muslim population with 3.7 million people.
The survey aims to inform the Government’s plans to overhaul French Muslim bodies in the wake of several jihadist attacks.