Why would 6 out of 10 Muslims oppose building a mosque in their area?

A friend brings the following Press Release to my notice, which I offer without comment at present:

Wednesday 24th June
OPINION POLL FINDS 6 IN 10 LOCAL MUSLIMS OPPOSE MEGA MOSQUE PLANNED FOR OLYMPICS SITE IN THE U.K.
Most local residents prefer mixed-use development finds ComRes survey

In the first-ever survey of local opinion about the mega-mosque proposed for West Ham, close to the site of the 2012 Olympics stadium, nearly 7 in 10 Newham residents (68%) said they would prefer a mixed-use development of houses, shops and community
facilities to the 12,000-capacity complex proposed by Islamic sect Tablighi Jamaat.

In the survey undertaken by ComRes, nearly 6 in 10 of Muslim residents in Newham (58%) also said they would prefer a mixed-use development for the site.

However although Tablighi Jamaat have indicated publicly over the past 15 months that their proposals for the site will include a Muslim conference centre, an Islamic school for 500 boys as well as 12,000-capacity prayer halls, around 8 in 10 of all residents say they have not been given enough information about the proposals (75%) and that they need more as the proposals are likely to have a significant impact on the local community (81%).

"These first results are provisional as far as we are concerned and must be treated with caution," said Cllr Alan Craig, leader of the Christian Peoples Alliance opposition group on Newham Council, who commissioned the survey. "But they are helpful as Newham people have not previously been consulted - they have been kept in the dark by Newham Council and Tablighi Jamaat. We need to know what local people - including Muslims - think about this massive project on our doorstep. And they are saying they need more information.

"But what is clear is that a significant majority of local people would prefer a mixed-use development instead of the mega-mosque proposals," continued Alan Craig. "This is not surprising. However we plan to undertake further polling to give people a voice as our campaign against the project grows."

Last week Newham Council confirmed they have been in dialogue with the mega-mosque
site owners and are currently engaged with them in the pre-planning application process.

On Saturday (20th June) Cllr Craig and his team held a successful Have-Your-Say mega-
mosque consultation event at West Ham in order to encourage participation of local
residents in the issue.

Queries: Visit www.cpaparty.org.uk

ComRes Survey: ComRes conducted 300 telephone interviews among Newham residents
between 10th-11th June 2009. Results were broken down by age, electoral ward, gender, ethnicity, religion and social grade and comparisons were made where appropriate.

ComRes is a member of the British Polling Council.

Full results tables can be found at www.comres.co.uk Sphere: Related Content