by JEFF HEINRICH
Source: The Gazette (Montreal), p. A3, News
[In an Environics poll conducted recently], Canadians said they interact with blacks most – 69 per cent said they’re in contact with them often or occasionally. Chinese were next (65 per cent), then East Indians and Pakistanis (54 per cent), aboriginals (54 per cent), Jews (50 per cent) and, last, Muslims (46 per cent).
But Quebecers stood out from the pack. […] Only 35 per cent of Quebecers said they’re in contact with a Muslim, and only 27 per cent with a Jew. (…)
The proportion of Quebecers who have never had contact with a Jew or a Muslim is also surprisingly high – 47 per cent have never met a Jew and 44 per cent have never met a Muslim. […]
The data also strongly suggest that Canadians’ level of esteem for minorities rises the more they’re in contact with them. For example, almost half of francophones who’ve never met a Jew say they don’t like them, compared with an 80-per-cent approval rating from francophones who interact with them often.
The Environics poll also found a majority of Canadians who support banning the hijab (the Arab-Muslim head scarf) don’t like Arabs to begin with. Between 53 and 60 per cent of people who dislike Arabs said a hijab ban is a good idea. [More]
Please click here to read the whole article from the Montreal Gazette.
The Islamic Workplace 
February 27th, 2008 → 1:17 pm
[…] 4. Canadians Interact Least with Muslims and Favor Hijab Ban. […]