42.4% of respondents to a poll from Market and Media Research (MMR) say they are against The Muslim Society building a mosque in Iceland.

According to the poll, respondents were asked how supportive or against different houses of worship they were. 42.4% said they were against a mosque in Iceland, while 29.7% said they were in favour.

Where other religions are concerned, results varied.

33.1% said they were against a Russian Orthodox Church being raised in Iceland (there already is one) while 33% supported the idea. 36.5% said they supported a Buddhist temple in Iceland while 23.5% were against it. Where the Ásatrú Society is concerned, 49.2% said they supported a temple for them being built in Iceland, while 11.1% opposed it.

The big winner from the poll was the national church, with 64.4% saying the church should be able to build more churches. 9.5% were against the idea.

The Muslim Society of Iceland received approval for a plot of land in Reykjavík to build a mosque during Jón Gnarr’s term as mayor. The Icelandic Constitution protects freedom of religion, and the law guarantees equal treatment for all religious organisations.

Reykjavik Grapevine, 8 October 2014

Update:  See “Former Muslim Society chair: mosque poll ‘pointless'”, Reykjavik Grapevine, 9 October 2014