Breaking the Impasse

The divide over the veil has unfortunately framed integration in Britain as a zero-sum game: Who will give up more? Who should make the first move? A majority of Muslims believe that the general public should be more accommodating and accepting of their religious customs, while the public believes the reverse.

This impasse masks the many areas of common ground between the British public and the Muslim community. The way forward is to approach integration as a process requiring extra effort by all, not painful trade-offs for one side. Muslims should not be forced into a false choice between Islam and integration. That would only risk turning an overblown crisis into a reality.

Dalia Mogahed is a senior analyst and executive director of the Gallup Center for Muslim Studies. Zsolt Nyiri is regional research director for Europe at the Gallup World Poll.

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