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'We've Got a Storm Brewing': There Are Some Very Concerning Findings in New Poll of British Muslims

Leah Barkoukis
Leah Barkoukis  |  April 09, 2024 8:00 AM

A couple months after Hamas’ brutal terror attack on Israel, and Israel’s counteroffensive, a public opinion survey was carried out in the region that showed the world a shocking reality about the populace. Most Palestinians were supportive of the atrocities Hamas carried out. In fact, the Palestinian Center for Policy Survey and Research found support for Hamas increased compared to polling prior to the war. And those trends have largely continued, with a survey from the same group released last month showing 71 percent of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank believe the 10/7 massacre was “correct.”

It turns out the sentiments are quite similar even outside the region. 

A new landmark poll of British Muslims, the first of its kind since the Israel-Gaza conflict began, has found that only 24% of British Muslims believe Hamas committed murder and rape in Israel on October 7th.

The representative survey of 1,000 Muslims, conducted by J.L. Partners for the Henry Jackson Society, also shines a light on attitudes that are very different from the bulk of the British population – on politics, foreign affairs, British society, and antisemitism. […]

Only one in four (24%) of British Muslims believe Hamas committed murder and rape in Israel on October 7 Four in ten (39%) say Hamas did not, and 38% say they are unsure.

-This compares to 62% of the wider population who say Hamas did commit such atrocities.

-Only one in four British Muslims (24%) believe Israel has a right to exist as a Jewish homeland, while half (49%) say it does not.

-This compares to 57% of the wider public who say Israel has a right to exist versus just 12% who say it does not.

-Almost half of British Muslims (46%) feel more sympathy with Hamas than Israel, with only 3% saying Israel

-Only 16% of the wider public feel more sympathy to Hamas, with 27% saying Israel

-British Muslims are more likely to have a positive than a negative view of Hamas; 29% have a positive view and only 24% have a negative view of Hamas

-Only 7% of the wider public have a positive view of Hamas and 59% have a negative view

-More than half of British Muslims (52%) believe the BBC is biased towards Israel, more than double the proportion of the public who say so (23%) 

-While the wider public are more likely to believe Hamas wanted to kill Jews on October 7th (40% to 26%) more than half of British Muslims say it was to forward the Palestinian cause (52% to 11%) (Henry Jackson Society)

Not surprisingly, younger and educated Muslims tended to hold more extreme views, leading commentators to wonder what's being taught on campuses. 

"So much for our celebrated multicultural utopia," reacted GB News's Darren Grimes. "If these numbers are anything to go by, we've got a storm brewing, and it's not just teacups that'll be rattling. How many times will we ignore warning sounds like this one?" 


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