“Scottish Muslims in Numbers” is a recent study published last week by Edinburgh University which, according to BuzzFeed, shows that “Scottish Muslims are an aspirational population and socioeconomically better off than Muslims in England and Wales.”
In recent years, Scottish Muslim politicians have received much public attention and are viewed as role models for young Muslims in the country. At the last general election, Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh was elected as the first Muslim MP (Member of Parliament) and earlier this year, Humza Yousaf, the Scottish Minister for Transport, famously delivered his oath in the Scottish parliament while wearing a kilt.
Here are some findings from the study:
— Scotland’s Muslims are younger and more likely to be in higher education or self-employed than the country’s overall population.
— Approximately 38% of Scottish Muslims are educated to degree level or above, up from 22% a decade ago, compared with 3 in 10 of the overall population of Scotland.
— One in three of Scottish Muslims are likely to be “economically active” full-time, whether as an employee or self-employed. In contrast, 19.8% of Muslims in England and Wales are in full-time work.
— Scottish Muslims feel a strong sense of belonging to Scotland, with 71% stating their only national identity as Scottish or British. Around 37% of Muslims in Scotland were born in Scotland, with just under 45% born elsewhere in the UK.
