And don't blame it on the Muslim community themselves; how many Muslim friends do you have? How much do you interact with people outside your own social group?
Interesting question. Considering that where I grew up and went to school is one of the most ethnically diverse areas in the country interesting to me personally and none of my in laws or extended family are British and I've spent time living in Southall, Dalston and Bethnal Green over the years.
Using Facebook as a very unscientific assessment I'd say that about 70% of my FB are non-British or non-White in origin. I'd say about 20% European, 15% Indian, 15 % African 10 % Afro-Caribbean, 4% Far East and 4% South American. None of these Muslim as far as I know.
But only 2% Muslim. (Would possibly be more like 3% except I had to delete a girl I went to school with who posted support for the Sultan of Brunei stoning gays). These are two people of Turkish origin, one Iranian and a Pakistani girl who lives an almost totally secular lifestyle.
If you look at areas I've lived, worked and socialised in and the population of the UK as a whole this should be more like 20%.
So what's different? Personally I would say that when working or living close to Muslims the norm, at best, is being politely kept at arms length. Neighbours who will talk to you if there's a major problem or say hello if prompted but will not been drawn into general 'how are you' social chit chat. Social invitations always declined and never extended. Relationships with people outside of their own group deeply, deeply disapproved of, lack of English skills and no attempt to improve them or interact with those who don't speak their own first language, tendency for a preference for self-employment or in professions dominated by other Muslims so that interactions with non-Muslims are kept to a minimum. Choosing to live in areas with as many Muslims and as few non-Muslims as possible and socialising almost entirely within their own community.
At worst, active removal from the outside community by choosing to wear niqabs etc, outright hostility (Why are you living here? This is a Muslim area. We don't want you here. Spitting, racial insults) or an outright refusal to interact on any level. Keeping mouths closed about horrendous crimes committed by Muslims against non- Muslims or actively covering them up (Rotherham).
I find it tiresome to be told that this is all somehow the fault of British people when it certainly doesn't seem to extend to other groups such as Hindus, Sikhs and Christian Africans in anything like the same level. And finger pointing at the rest of society telling them that being shot or blown up is their fault because we've not been inclusive or made enough of an effort --when for the last 20 years that's all our society has been geared up for is insulting victim blaming.
I'm getting pretty tired of the 'but we can't do anything' rhetoric too. Given that these are communities where apparently people who decide to leave Islam or commit other sins like disobeying their parents by not marrying who they want are hounded in fear of their lives and forced into hiding and widely shunned by these same communities, why don't they do the same to extremists? Why do people like Samantha Lewthwaite, Anjem Chaudhury and Michael Adebalejo live normal lives peddling extremism from within these communities but people who transgress by not conforming to Islamic ideology are hounded and persecuted by the same communities?
It makes little sense unless, in fact, extremism is far more acceptable and palatable to a lot of Muslim communities than being a Muslim who is not extreme enough.
