Immigration, Faith and Cohesion. Evidence from Local Areas with Significant Muslim Populations

This research report investigates factors contributing to or undermining community cohesion in Britain. It focuses on three contrasting urban areas of the UK in which significant numbers of Muslim migrants and long term Muslim residents are living: the borough of Newham in London, and the cities of Birmingham and Bradford. The focus on Muslims allows for the role of faith communities in the cohesion process, as well as the relationships between new and settled groups with similar and different ethnic or religious backgrounds, to be explored. The study compares the experience of Muslims in these local areas with the experience of other residents, and sheds new light on the ways in which, by way of key cohesion indicators, various views and experiences of British Muslims and non- Muslims are shaped.