A majority of British Muslims believe more should be done to improve relations between Britain’s different religious communities, according to a faith-based research forum.

The Institute for Impact on Faith Lives (IIFL) researched the attitudes and social contributions of British Muslims living in the UK. The survey found that 71% of British Muslim respondents believe more should be done to improve relations between different faith groups, while only 22% believe the work being done is the right thing.

The research also found that 86% of British Muslim respondents believe the UK is an ideal place to live in terms of opportunities for advancement, compared with 70% of the wider population survey.

Dr Jack Scott, IIFL secretary, said: “This research is a timely intervention into the increasingly confusing public conversation about faith, Britain and Islam. Our research shows that Muslims are extremely optimistic about the future of the UK and that they are more optimistic about the future here than Most other European countries are happier and feel they are free to practice their faith while participating in public life.”

Nadeem Afzal, from Birmingham, one of 28 people interviewed for the report, said: “British Muslims are still able to practice their faith openly and freely here… growing up centre, the neighbor on the right is a British Indian and the neighbor on the right is a British Indian.” What remains is a white British family and we all get along very well… There is certainly no “no go zone” that politicians talk about . This is certainly not the case. “

Salma Kannan, a British Muslim living in east London, echoed similar sentiments. “Britain is a diverse and multicultural society… that’s the beauty of Britain, we all accept that there are other religions,” she said.

Scott said the report did show there was “room for improvement.” He said: “Many Muslims say more needs to be done to improve relations between faith communities, so there is a clear need to better understand the UK’s diverse and complex Muslim communities.”

In particular, some people interviewed for the report highlighted “negative portrayals” of Muslims in the media, an increase in anti-Muslim bias and “small towns being less welcoming or overtly hostile” compared to metropolitan areas.

Kanam, who wears a headscarf, said she has experienced people looking at her family while on vacation in a less diverse part of the country. She said: “You do get a slight feeling that maybe they don’t accept it… We do get a lot of looks… but no one says anything or does anything.”

The IIFL investigation follows comments from Conservative MPs including Suella Braverman and Lee Anderson, who have been condemned as “Islamophobic” and “anti-Muslim”.

Tell Mama, a charity that records anti-Muslim incidents, said Islamophobic hatred more than tripled in the four months from 7 October. Two of the three incidents recorded by the charity were against Muslim women.

The poll also found that three quarters of British Muslim respondents said they had made a charitable donation in the year before the survey, compared with 68% of the wider population.

Khanum, managing director of Aishah Help, a women-led anti-poverty charity that supports disadvantaged communities, said: “Zakat [the Islamic obligation of almsgiving] It’s called charity. This is one of the fundamental pillars of Islam…the purpose is to purify personal wealth and ensure the economic well-being of the entire community. “

Techne UK, a member of the UK Poll Council, conducted two surveys commissioned by IIFL: one surveyed 1,001 British Muslims and the other 1,012 people representing the general population.