Work, Life And Prayer 2006
14 May 2006
It is an example of the way in which the salience of religion for public life and policy is increasingly being recognised by Government.
”Professor Paul Weller, Professor of Inter-Religious Relations
Only half of all Muslims aged over 25 living in England are in some form of active employment.
That's a headline finding in a new review of existing evidence which lifts the lid on the role of religion in today's society.
It is the most comprehensive review ever conducted in England to address the relationship between Government policy and faith groups in terms of areas such as housing, sustainable communities, social inclusion and neighbourhood renewal.
The report has been produced on behalf of the Government by a team of leading academics with expertise in religion, ethnicity and social policy - including Professor Paul Weller from the University of Derby.
The report has examined the available evidence about the lives of religious minorities in England and paints a picture of how Sikhs, Muslims and Hindus fare in our country today.
It concludes that Muslims suffer the most from adverse housing, social and economic conditions. But it also underlines that comparatively more research is still needed in relation to issues and needs that affect Hindus and Sikhs.
'The Review Of The Evidence Base On Faith Communities' was produced by the Mercia Group for the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM).
The Mercia Group is an informal group of researchers comprising Professor Paul Weller, University of Derby; Professor James Beckford and Dr David Owen, University of Warwick; Dr Richard Gale, University of Birmingham; and Professor Ceri Peach, University of Oxford.
Professor Paul Weller, Senior Research Fellow and Professor of Inter-Religious Relations, said: "The report provides a more detailed, textured and nuanced picture of what lies behind some of the bare statistics now available from responses to the National Census questions on religious affiliation.
"It is an example of the way in which the salience of religion for public life and policy is increasingly being recognised by Government."
The report is divided into six sections, which cover: Sikh, Hindu and Muslim population statistics; disadvantage and social cohesion; faith communities and planning; local governance and public services; housing; and broader policy considerations.
'The Review Of The Evidence Base On Faith Communities' says:
+ Half of Muslims (50 per cent) aged 25+ are not in economic activity (the formal labour market). This compares to Sikhs (30 per cent) and Hindus (29 per cent). Of this figure a very high 71 per cent of Muslim women aged 25+ are not in work.
+ A third of Muslims (33 per cent) are located in the ten per cent most deprived wards in England.
+ Four in ten Muslims experience housing deprivation (live in homes were there are fewer rooms than household members) (40 per cent) compared to Hindus (25 per cent) and (Sikhs 22 per cent).
+ Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs who wish to move away from disadvantaged neighbourhoods face a wide range of obstacles, including exclusion and racism that constrain their decisions.
The report states: "Our studies found that Census data reveals that Muslim people are particularly vulnerable in terms of unemployment, life-limiting long-term illness, educational levels, and housing conditions. There is some data on Pakistani and Bangladeshi Muslims, but little information on Afghan, Somali Kurds and other Muslim groups.
"This report highlights a number of common features arising from the evidence base on the Hindu, Muslim and Sikh populations of England in relation to ODPM policy areas, and some aspects relating to each individual group.
"It demonstrates the importance of developing an appropriate 'religious literacy' that enables public bodies to take account of 'faith dimensions' in a way that is informed by an appropriate level of understanding of the religious, ethnic and socio-economic diversities that exist in and among these populations."
Possible ideas for civil servants and politicians to consider arising from the policy document include:
+ Housing designs to be more flexible to allow modifications to be made to accommodate the spatial needs of families from ethnic and religious minorities.
+ Public organisations to consider introducing staff development programmes in 'religious literacy' to understand the needs of religious groups.
+ Planning authorities to monitor the ethnicity and religious identity of planning applicants as a matter of priority to check for unwitting discrimination with regard development control and other planning procedures.
ODPM will use the evidence from the report as part of its strategic policy development in areas such as housing, social conditions, tackling disadvantage, delivering better services and enhancing the relationships between faith and other equalities strands in terms of ethnicity, gender, sexuality and disability.
To study 'The Review Of The Evidence Base On Faith Communities' visit: www.odpm.gov.uk
A seminar discussing the report will take place between 7-8.30pm on Thursday, July 6 at the Multi-Faith Centre, based in the grounds of the University of Derby's Kedleston Road campus, in Derby.
Telephone 01332 591285 or email mfc@derby.ac.uk for more details.
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For further information call: Simon Redfern, Senior Press and PR Officer, University of Derby on 01332 591942, email s.redfern@derby.ac.uk.
