First Published 2007-08-20, Last Updated 2007-08-21 09:48:48


Suffering from misrepresentation by many media outlets

 
Britons more suspicious of Muslims than Europeans

 
Poll says 46 percent of British respondents think that Muslims have too much political power.

 
LONDON - Britons view Muslims with more suspicion than their American or European counterparts, according to a poll published in the Financial Times on Monday.

According to the Harris Interactive survey, only about 59 percent of Britons believed that it was possible to be both a Muslim and a British citizen, compared to more than 70 percent of Spanish and French voters.

Some 52 percent of British respondents also said that they expected a "major terrorist attack" in their country within the next 12 months, the highest proportion of any of the countries surveyed -- Britain, France, Germany, Spain, Italy and the United States.

By contrast, 32 percent of Spanish voters said they thought that was the case, compared to 30 percent of Americans, and between 15 and 18 percent in France, Germany and Italy.

About 46 percent of British respondents said that Muslims had too much political power, compared to about a third of Italians and Germans, less than a quarter of Spaniards, and a fifth of Americans.

The French were the most enthusiastic when asked whether they saw Muslims as suitable marriage partners for their children, and a large majority also do not see Muslims as a threat.

In the United States, just 21 percent of respondents saw Muslims as a threat, though some 40 percent said they would oppose their children marrying Muslims.

In Spain, fewer than a quarter saw Muslims as a threat, while just a fifth said they would oppose Muslims marrying their children.

Harris Interactive questioned a total of 6,398 people in the six countries between August 1 and 13 for the survey.
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