AS the Humanist Society of Scotland points out in its new report on intolerance, this small country of ours enjoys a positive reputation on inclusivity. Political conversations about immigration, says the report, are often more positive than they are in other European countries.
But how deserving is Scotland of its good reputation really? The Humanist Society wanted to take a snapshot of what people thought and the results were mixed. Some of the results demonstrate the positivity many Scots feel towards others no matter their beliefs. However, some of the other findings are a cause for concern.
For example, some ten per cent of those interviewed for the report say they would not be accepting of someone of a different religious outlook marrying a relative. The report also found that one in five people in Scotland think it is wrong for people to have relationships with people of the same sex, and, remarkably, the figure rose to almost one in three among the male respondents.
In an age when so much progress has been made on religious and sexual tolerance, these are striking results and should act as a warning to all of us not to take Scotland’s tolerant reputation for granted. Indeed, we should recognise that much of that reputation is unjustified – how could it be otherwise when a third of men believe same-sex relationships are wrong?
The results of the report also show there is work still to be done to ensure Scotland is fully inclusive and that must mean leading by example where we can. We should be the first to welcome immigrants for instance, as the Scottish Government did when it welcomed refugees from Syria.
However, there will be no significant progress until we openly acknowledge that we have a problem. As the Labour MSP Anas Sarwar said earlier this year, the assumption that Scots are somehow less intolerant than our neighbours has be called out. Exposing the myth is not talking Scotland down, said Mr Sarwar, and he is right – it is the first step to making Scotland better.
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