Last week I was delighted to find some data which completely supported my existing prejudice. That’s how social media works, right?
Ipsos Mori had conducted a survey in 40 countries to find how many Muslims people believed there were, living in their country. And unsurprisingly (to me) most people massively over-estimated the number.
For example in Britain, we believe Muslims make up about a sixth of the population. The real figure is less than a twentieth. The variations were even wider in most other countries. In France, the perception was nearly five times greater than the reality. All of this explains why immigration has become one of the fiercest areas of political debate, despite being one of the smaller problems we face. Whereas Islamaphobia threatens to become a real problem.
I have friends who talk as though there were no longer any white faces to be seen in their High Street when I know the local population where they live is virtually 100% white Anglo-Saxon Protestant. They genuinely believe that beyond the perimeter of their own village, the world is full of threatening aliens who are somehow out to get them.
How could this happen? Do you really need to ask?
This overwhelmingly supports my long-held belief: that there’s nothing in our world that wouldn’t be made better simply by closing down the Daily Mail.
The Aspidistra 