Most Icelanders either support the building of a mosque in Reykjavík, or have no opinion on the matter, according to a poll conducted by Fréttablaðið. The largest individual percentage, however, opposes the idea.
The Muslim Society of Iceland has been applying for a plot of land on which to build a mosque since 2001, yet neither leftist nor rightist city councils have ever approved the measure. Most recently, Mayor Jón Gnarr told the Grapevine that he saw no reason why the plot shouldn’t be approved, and city council has said they are actively looking for plots.
17.2% said they were very supportive of a mosque in Reykjavík, while 19.4% said they were rather supportive. 21.6% said they didn’t have a position on the matter.
By contrast, 13.5% said they were rather against a mosque being built, while 28.3% – the largest individual portion of those polls – said they were very against the idea.
Broken down by party lines, the most supportive party was the Leftist-Greens, with 52.9% supporting the mosque while 25.9% were against it. Social Democrats were also supportive, with 46.8% in favor and 29.9% against. Progressives showed considerably less support, with 37.5% in favor and 45.8% against, and conservatives were least supportive of all – only 26.7% support a mosque in the city, while 48.1% were against it.