Canadian Muslims very happy to be in the country, survey finds

A new survey is showing that Canadian Muslims love the country, and feel a great sense of belonging here.

The study, commissioned by the Environics Institute, finds that 83% of Muslims feel very proud to be Canadian, and 84% believe they are treated better in Canada than in other Western Countries.

Ihsaan Gardee with the National Council of Canadian Muslims tells 660 News this study confirms what most Muslims feel inside already.

“You know, the majority of Canadian Muslims have a strong sense of pride in being Canadian and, in fact, higher than their fellow Canadians. This is obviously very encouraging, there is this sense of belonging and feeling of attachment to this country.”

But the survey does not show all positive numbers, with an increasing number of Muslims saying they’ve experienced discrimination.

“This sort of aligns as well with what we as an organization have been noting,” adds Gardee. “Which is an increase in the number of reports of anti-muslim incidents and islamophobia and anti-muslim harassment that has been occurring and trending upwards.”

The survey found that about a third of Canadian Muslims had experienced some form of discrimination.

Also, many believe that the next generation of Muslims will face more harassment and stereotyping than today.

But finally, nine in ten Muslims are optimistic about the new Federal Government, especially after a particularly divisive election campaign, which saw lots of targeting against Muslims.

This is the second such survey done in Canada, the first in 2006.

Compared to that last survey a decade ago, Canadian Muslims are more positive now than they were back then.