09 February 2007
Canadians are least likely among citizens of 23 western countries to have bigoted attitudes toward Muslims, the "CanWest News Service" reports. In an international study that measured the level of Islamophobia in each nation, more than 32,000 respondents from 19 European countries, plus Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States, were asked the question: "Would you like to have a person from this group as your neighbor?" Of nearly 2,000 people surveyed in Canada only 6.5 per cent said they would not like to live beside a Muslim. The average percentage of negative responses across all western countries was more than twice as high, with Greece (21 per cent) and Belgium (20 per cent) topping the list of countries with the highest percentage of those who expressed unwillingness to live next door to a Muslim. Salma Siddiqui, an official with the Toronto-based Muslim Canadian Congress, told "CanWest News Service" on Wednesday that the survey results reflect the fact "Canada is a very tolerant nation."
Rejection of a homosexual as neighbor was higher in most countries, with Italians (28 per cent of negative responses) being those with the highest rejection rate. Canadians ranked among the most tolerant nations in each of those categories, as well. Fewer than five per cent of respondents from Canada said they would not want to have a neighbor who is Jewish, an immigrant or of a different race.
