Three out of 4 British Muslims don’t consider Hamas carried out homicide and rape within the October 7 assaults in Israel, a shock new ballot suggests.
The biggest survey of its form for the reason that present Israel-Hamas battle started additionally reveals 46 per cent of these questioned saying they sympathised with the militant group.Â
The findings come on the six-month anniversary of the October 7 bloodbath which noticed Hamas terrorists kill about 1,200 residents and take 253 hostage.
Interfaith leaders say the outcomes present how ‘numerous work must be finished to tell, problem, and deal with previous anti-Semitic tropes which can be nonetheless circulating’.
The survey was commissioned by the Henry Jackson Society, a counter-extremism think-tank, and carried out by polling agency J L Companions.
Professional-Palestine protesters held placards and flags outdoors the House Workplace in London on Friday
Mourners have been right now pictured visiting the positioning in Re’im, Israel, the place revellers have been kidnapped and killed in Hamas’s terror assaults on the Nova musical competition final October 7
Troopers have been seen visiting a bomb shelter there, on the six-month anniversary of the bloodbath
When requested whether or not Hamas dedicated homicide and rape on October 7, simply 24 per cent of British Muslims stated they did – in distinction to 62 per cent of the broader public.
Within the October 7 assault, Hamas militants stormed into southern Israel and killed about 1,200 individuals – largely civilians – whereas taking an estimated 250 hostage.
Militants nonetheless maintain about 130 hostages, a fourth of them believed to be lifeless.
A lot of the others have been launched throughout a week-long ceasefire in November.
The battle has killed greater than 33,000 Palestinians, largely girls and youngsters, in line with the Well being Ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza, which doesn’t distinguish between civilians and combatants.
About 80 per cent of Gaza’s inhabitants have been pushed from their properties and 1 / 4 face hunger.
Israel offered to the Worldwide Court docket of Justice in January horrifying footage of civilians being slaughtered and mutilated by Hamas terrorists on October 7.
An introduction to the movie proven at The Hague informed how greater than 3,000 militants ‘invaded Israel from the land, sea and air’ in over 20 communities close to the border and on the Nova music competition in Re’im.
In the present day’s ballot says 39 per cent of British Muslims stated Hamas didn’t commit atrocities, whereas 37 per cent stated they didn’t know whether or not they had or had not.
Youthful and well-educated Muslims appeared the almost certainly to assume Hamas didn’t commit atrocities that day – together with 47 per cent of these aged between 18 and 24 and 40 per cent of college graduates.
Hamas fighters circumvented Israel’s border with the Gaza Strip by flying in through paraglider, in line with the Israeli navy (pictured: a paraglider crossing into Israel)
Greater than 250 hostages have been taken again into Gaza after Hamas’ strike into southern IsraelÂ
Israeli civilians have been taken off the streets, transferred throughout the border and held captive
Researchers additionally discovered just over half, or 52 per cent, of British Muslims believed it must be unlawful to indicate photos of the Prophet Mohammed, versus 16 per cent of the general public.
Some 32 per cent or nearly a 3rd of British Muslims questioned stated they backed Shariah legislation within the UK compared to 9 per cent of most people, the Telegraph reported.
The ballot additionally indicated 46 per cent of British Muslims and 16 per cent throughout the board felt Jewish individuals have an excessive amount of energy over UK authorities coverage.
Some 41 per cent of British Muslims stated Jews have an excessive amount of energy within the media and 39 per cent when it got here to Britain’s monetary system.Â
Fiyaz Mughal, founding father of interfaith teams Inform Mama, Religion Issues and Muslims In opposition to Anti-Semitism, described the outcomes as ‘stunning but in addition not stunning’.
He stated: ‘Hamas is an Islamist extremist and terrorist group and has been terrorising Gazans, Israelis and liberals inside society for many years.
Dr Alan Mendoza is govt director of the Henry Jackson Society, a think-tank specialising in counter-extremism
‘The sense that Hamas didn’t conduct massacres and rapes in Israel is atrocious as a result of it reveals a closed-off mentality to something emanating from Israel.’
‘The findings verify that numerous work must be finished to tell, problem, and deal with previous anti-Semitic tropes which can be nonetheless circulating amongst a few of my co-religionists.
‘The Authorities has bought to supply higher steerage for lecturers, faculties and schooling institutions. The funding must occur as quickly as doable as a result of we’re at actual threat of a social cohesion downside.’
The Henry Jackson Society’s govt director Alan Mendoza criticised what he known as ‘the failure of counter-extremism coverage over time’.
He stated: ‘What might be going fallacious is an unwillingness to sort out this type of extremism for worry of being labelled Islamophobic or racist.
The aftermath of an assault on the Supernova music competition by Hamas gunmen final October
CCTV footage confirmed gunmen dragging a physique and throwing it into the again of a automobile in Israel
Clipped video additionally depicted a Hamas fighter taking pictures a canine lifeless through the October 7 assault
A person with Hamas units hearth to an Israeli residence through the October 7 atrocities
‘There’s a reluctance to name it out in the identical method that persons are very comfortable to name out far-right extremism.
‘The Authorities must discover a method of supporting and strengthening the voice of reasonable Muslims and drive the extremist narrative to the sidelines.’
A Authorities spokesperson stated: ‘We’ve got not too long ago set out a sequence of measures which can promote social cohesion and counter non secular hatred.
‘Our plan will sort out division in our communities and make sure that we’re defending our democratic freedoms throughout the nation.’