Only 1 in 4 Muslims believe October 7 terror took place
ONLY 1 in 4 British Muslims believe that Hamas committed murder and rape in Israel on October 7, according to the largest survey conducted of British Muslims since the Israel-Hamas war began.
The survey, commissioned by the Henry Jackson Society, a counterextremism think-tank, found that just under half of British Muslims – 46 per cent – say they sympathise with Hamas.
The findings were published on Sunday, the six-month anniversary of October 7.
Asked whether Hamas committed murder and rape in Israel on October 7, only 24 per cent of British Muslims said they had, compared to 62 per cent of the wider public.
The report found that younger and well-educated Muslims were the most likely to think Hamas carried out no atrocities on October 7, with 47 per cent of 18-24-year-olds and 40 per cent of the university-educated deluded about the terror attack.
The survey also found that over half of British Muslims, 52 per cent, want to make it illegal to show a picture of the Prophet Mohammed, and about a third, 32 per cent, wish to see Shariah law implemented in the UK.
The survey, carried out by polling company J L Partners, also found that 46 per cent of British Muslims say Jews have too much power over UK government policy (compared to 16 per cent of the general public) while 41 per cent said Jews have too much power in the media.
Thirt nine per cent of British Muslims said Hamas did commit atrocities on October 7, with 37 per cent saying they did not know whether they had or not.
Alan Mendoza, Executive Director of the Henry Jackson Society, said the findings were evidence of “the failure of counter-extremism policy over the years.”
He said there may be an “unwillingness to tackle this kind of extremism for fear of being labelled Islamophobic or racist. There is a reluctance to call it out in the same way that people are very happy to call our far-right extremism.
“The government needs to find a way of supporting and strengthening the voice of moderate Muslims and drive the extremist narrative to the sidelines.”