Most British Muslims do not blame al-Qa'ida for attacks

Seven out of 10 Muslims in Britain believe the war on terrorism is a war on Islam, an opinion poll published yesterday shows.

More than half of the British-based Muslims questioned believe Osama bin Laden and his al-Qa'ida network should not have been blamed for the 11 September attacks in the United States. The survey of 500 people, carried out by ICM for the BBC, also found that two thirds felt patriotic about Britain. But 37 per cent said they had suffered more hostility and abuse since the attacks.

The findings echo a warning last week by the Commons Foreign Affairs Select Committee that a war with Iraq could strengthen al-Qa'ida and destabilise the Arab world. The ICM poll found that 70 per cent of British Muslims rejected statements by President George Bush and Tony Blair that the war against terror is not a war against Islam. Only 20 per cent agree with the two leaders.

Two out of three of those polled said the US was unjustified in blaming al-Qa'ida for terrorist acts such as the Bali bomb in October. Eleven per cent thought that further attacks in the US by al-Qa'ida or similar organisations were justified, and 8 per cent said such actions were justified in Britain.

Anshuman Mondal, an expert on multiculturalism at Leicester University, said the survey showed that Islam "in a global context" was now seen to mean solidarity with Muslims in Palestine and Iraq. "Muslims have replaced communists as the West's bogeymen," he said.

Sheikh Omar Bakri Mohammed, head of the London-based radical Islamic group al-Muhajiroun, said: "We always believed that this is a war against Islam, there is a hidden agenda against Islam ... I see Tony Blair ... as much as George Bush, leading the campaign." Admitting that he did not speak for British Muslims, he said: "I believe Muslims abroad have the right to retaliate, and if they retaliate, they have got to retaliate against the source."

Shahid Malik, a member of Labour's national executive committee, described the comments as "outrageous" and "garbage". He said: "There can never be any justification for terrorist attacks, whether it be Omar Bakri, whether it be state terrorism, or whether it be any other kind of terrorism."

Mr Malik agreed there was " a very real perception" among British Muslims that the war on terrorism was a war against Islam. He said the Prime Minister was showing encouraging signs by calling a meeting of Palestinian leaders in London next month, but "unfortunately, Tony Blair doesn't rule the world, George Bush does".

Yesterday the Bishop of Bath and Wells became the latest leading religious figure to speak out against war in Iraq, warning that it would unleash "evil" across the Middle East.

The Rt Rev Peter Price said: "There is very little doubt at the present time that this is not a question of last resort. There doesn't continue to be any serious evidence of an immediate threat of Saddam Hussein using any weapons of mass destruction that he may have.

"And there is the continuing danger that if we go to war against him, he will be tempted to use this to lead to a much wider conflict whose ends are not predictable."

What the poll revealed

Before committing British forces to an attack on Iraq do you think the British government should seek:

The approval of the UN
Yes 84%
No 13%
Don't know 4%

The approval of Parliament
Yes 85%
No 11%
Don't know 5%

President Bush and Tony Blair say the war against terrorism is not a war against Islam. Do you agree or disagree?
Agree 20%
Disagree 70%
Don't know 10%

From what you have seen and heard, do you think the US and its allies are justified or unjustified in blaming Osama bin Laden's al-Qa'ida groups for the attacks in America on 11 September last year?
Justified 27%

Unjustified 56%

Don't know 17%

Do you think the outcome of the American military action in Afghanistan has so far proved to be positive or negative for Afghanistan?
Positive 12%
Negative 76%
Don't know 12%

From what you have seen and heard, do you think US and its allies are justified in blaming al-Qa'ida for other attacks, like the one in Bali in October?
Justified 17%
Unjustified 64%
Don't know 20%

Some people talk about patriotism being "a love for a country". How patriotic do you feel towards Britain?
Very patriotic 28%
Fairly patriotic 39%
Not very patriotic 11%
Not at all patriotic 15%
Don't know 6%

Would you regard further attacks by al-Qa'ida, or similar organisations, on the US as justified or unjustified?
Justified 11%
Unjustified 79%
Don't know 10%

Would you regard attacks by al-Qa'ida or similar organisations on Britain as justified or unjustified?
Justified 8%
Unjustified 85%
Don't know 7%

Some people have said that the attacks by al-Qa'ida and associated organisations are "a reaction undertaken by sons of Islam who are zealous in the defence of their religion and in response to the order of their God and prophet".
Agree 17%
Disagree 72%
Don't know 12%

Some people have said that the attacks by al-Qa'ida and associated organisations are justified on the grounds that Muslims are being killed by America and its allies using American weapons. Do you agree or disagree?
Agree 44%
Disagree 46%
Don't know 9%

As a Muslim in Britain, do you feel that non-Muslim people in Britain are more or less sympathetic towards you now than they were before the attacks on 11 September last year?
More sympathetic 10%
Made no difference 36%
Less sympathetic 48%
Don't know 6%

Source: ICM Research

Figures have been rounded up.