People from Finland would rather live next to an alcohol or drug rehab center than a Muslim prayer room or Mosque, a new survey has found. In fact, the unpopularity of the Mosque was surpassed only by a drug users’ needle exchange center.

Image via Prayer in Islam.

The survey was conducted on only 1,000 people, but the results were conclusive (for this small sample size); 43 percent of interviewed people said they would have no objection to a rehab facility for alcoholics being established close to where they live. However, only 34 percent who said they would be happy living close to a mosque or Muslim prayer room. In other words, 2 out of 3 Fins would rather not live next to a mosque.

Also, 76 percent of those questioned said they wouldn’t mind a home for people with disabilities set up in their neighborhood. 41 percent felt the same way for a home for asylum seekers and 52 wouldn’t mind a mental health support center.

The only thing people disliked more were needle exchange for drug addicts – a social service that allows injecting drug users to obtain clean hypodermic needles at no cost. The findings come in a very tense situation in Europe, where Muslim immigrants have become a highly polarizing issue.

Interestingly, women were significantly more tolerant than men, as were younger people compared to their older peers. Pensioners were generally the least tolerant.

What do you think about this?