Only a quarter of British Muslims believe Hamas definitely carried out murder and rape during the October 7 attacks on Israel, according to a shocking new poll.
The study also found that 40 percent of college-educated Muslims aged 18 to 24 believed the terrorist organization did not commit the crimes.
The stunning findings, from the Henry Jackson Society, a national security think tank, come on the sixth anniversary of the massacre that saw 1,200 civilians killed and 235 others taken hostage in southern Israel.
The survey, carried out by polling firm JL Partners, also found that 46 per cent of Muslims living in the UK sympathized with Hamas.
Interfaith experts have warned that the findings show a “real risk of a social cohesion problem”, adding that more education is needed to “inform, challenge and respond to old anti-Semitic tropes”.
Pro-Palestinian protesters waved signs and flags outside the Home Office in London on Friday.
Mourners were pictured today visiting the site in Re’im, Israel, where revelers were kidnapped and killed during Hamas terror attacks on the Nova music festival on October 7.
Soldiers were seen visiting an air raid shelter, marking the sixth month of the massacre.
When asked whether Hamas had carried out murder and rape on October 7, only 24 percent of British Muslims said they had, compared to 62 percent of the general public.
Hamas terrorists still hold around 130 hostages, a quarter of whom are believed to be dead.
Most of the others were released during a week-long ceasefire in November.
The war has killed more than 33,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.
Around 80 percent of Gaza’s population has been driven from their homes and a quarter of them face starvation.
Israel presented to the International Court of Justice in January horrific images of civilians massacred and mutilated by Hamas terrorists on October 7.
An introduction to the film screened in The Hague recounts how more than 3,000 activists “invaded Israel from land, sea and air” in more than 20 communities near the border and at the Nova music festival in Reim.
Today’s poll says 39 percent of British Muslims said Hamas had not committed atrocities, while 37 percent said they did not know whether they had or No.
Younger, more educated Muslims appear to be the most likely to think Hamas did not commit atrocities that day – including 47 percent of people aged 18 to 24 and 40 percent of college graduates. academics.
Hamas fighters bypassed the border between Israel and the Gaza Strip by paragliding, according to the Israeli army (photo: a paragliding crossing into Israel)
More than 250 hostages returned to Gaza after Hamas attack in southern Israel
Israeli civilians were taken from the streets, transferred across the border and held captive.
The researchers also found iJust over half, or 52 per cent, of British Muslims thought it should be illegal to show photos of the Prophet Muhammad, compared to 16 per cent of the general public.
Some 32 percent, or almost a third, of British Muslims surveyed said they supported Sharia law in the UK, compared to nine percent of the general public, the Telegraph reported.
The poll also indicates that 46 percent of British Muslims and 16 percent of Muslims overall believe Jews have too much power over British government policy.
Some 41 percent of British Muslims believe Jews have too much power in the media and 39 percent in the British financial system.
Fiyaz Mughal, founder of the interfaith groups Tell Mama, Faith Matters and Muslims Against Anti-Semitism, called the results “shocking but also not shocking.”
He told the newspaper: “Hamas is an extremist Islamist and terrorist group that has terrorized Gazans, Israelis and liberals in society for decades.
Dr. Alan Mendoza is executive director of the Henry Jackson Society, a think tank specializing in countering extremism.
“The feeling that Hamas has not committed massacres or rapes in Israel is atrocious because it reflects a mentality closed to everything that emanates from Israel.”
“The results confirm that much work remains to be done to inform, challenge and combat old anti-Semitic tropes that still circulate among some of my co-religionists.”
He called on the government to provide better guidance to teachers to improve education, warning that otherwise the country is in danger.a problem of social cohesion.
Henry Jackson Society executive director Alan Mendoza criticized what he called “the failure of anti-extremist policy over the years.”
He said: “What is probably wrong is the refusal to tackle this type of extremism for fear of being labeled Islamophobic or racist.
The aftermath of the attack on the Supernova music festival by Hamas gunmen last October
CCTV footage shows gunmen dragging body and throwing it into back of car in Israel
A clipped video also shows a Hamas fighter shooting a dog during the October 7 attack.
Hamas man sets fire to Israeli residence during October 7 atrocities
“There is a reluctance to denounce this, in the same way that people are very happy to denounce far-right extremism.
“The government must find a way to support and strengthen the voices of moderate Muslims and set aside extremist discourse. »
A government spokesperson said: “We have recently set out a series of measures which will promote social cohesion and combat religious hatred.
“Our plan will address division in our communities and ensure we protect our democratic freedoms across the country.”
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