The University of Salzburg in Austria has carried out a large survey of the country’s population in relation to their attitudes to Muslims and found that 70% of those questioned said that Islam is incompatible with Western values.
Of the 1,200 people surveyed 72% of Austria said that Islam is not a cultural asset to Austria while 79 per cent agreed that Muslim communities in the country should be closely watched by authorities Kronen Zeitung reports.
Shockingly, around 50% said that Muslims should be restricted from practising their faith in public, such as blocking roads with large public prayer displays while around the same number said that Mosques should not be permitted in Austria at all.
Last August, the Austrian Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BVT), the country’s domestic intelligence agency announced that radical Islamic terrorism remains the number one threat facing the country.
According to the BVT, this threat is compounded by the significant numbers of returning Islamic State fighters who left the country to fight in Syria and Iraq.
The study has increased concerns among the Austrian and EU political class as it follows a study last year which showed around 84% of Austrian would not tolerate migrants who refused to integrate, leading to fears that the country will eventually follow its neighbour Hungary and elect a nationalist government.
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