Only a quarter of British Muslims believe that Hamas definitely committed murders and rapes during the October 7 attacks in Israelsuggests a shocking new survey.
The largest survey of its kind since the current conflict between Israel and Hamas began also shows that 46 percent of respondents say they sympathize with the militant group.
The findings come on the sixth anniversary of the October 7 massacre in which Hamas terrorists killed some 1,200 citizens and took 253 hostage.
Interfaith leaders say the results show that “there is much work to be done to inform, challenge and address old anti-Semitic tropes that still circulate.”
The survey was commissioned by the Henry Jackson Society, a counter-extremism think tank, and conducted by polling firm JL Partners.
Pro-Palestinian protesters held banners and flags outside the Home Office in London on Friday.
Mourners were photographed today visiting the site in Re’im, Israel, where revelers were kidnapped and killed in the Hamas terrorist attacks on the Nova music festival on October 7.
Soldiers were seen visiting a bomb shelter there, on the sixth anniversary of the massacre.
When asked whether Hamas committed murders and rapes on October 7, only 24 percent of British Muslims said yes, in contrast to 62 percent of the general public.
In the October 7 attack, Hamas militants swept into southern Israel and killed about 1,200 people – mostly civilians – and took about 250 hostage.
The militants are still holding about 130 hostages, and a quarter of them are believed to be dead.
Most of the others were freed during a week-long ceasefire in November.
The war has killed more than 33,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to the Health Ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.
About 80 percent of Gaza’s population has been driven from their homes and a quarter faces famine.
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 shown in The Hague told how more than 3,000 militants “invaded Israel from land, sea and air” in more than 20 communities near the border and at the Nova music festival in Re’im.
Today’s poll says 39 per cent of British Muslims said Hamas did not commit atrocities, while 37 per cent said they did not know whether it had committed them or not.
Younger, well-educated Muslims appeared to be the most likely to think Hamas did not commit atrocities that day, including 47 percent of those ages 18 to 24 and 40 percent of college graduates.
Hamas fighters bypassed Israel’s border with the Gaza Strip by paragliding, according to the Israeli military (pictured: a paraglider crossing into Israel)
More than 250 hostages were returned to Gaza following the Hamas attack on southern Israel.
Israeli civilians were taken off the streets, moved across the border and held captive.
The researchers also found jOnly more than half, or 52 per cent, of British Muslims believed it should be illegal to display photographs of the Prophet Muhammad, compared to 16 per cent of the general public.
About 32 percent or almost a third of British Muslims surveyed said they supported Sharia law in the UK, compared to nine per cent of the general public, Telegraph reported.
The survey also indicated that 46 percent of British Muslims and 16 percent overall felt that Jews have too much power over UK government policy.
Some 41 percent of British Muslims said Jews have too much power in the media and 39 percent when it comes to the British financial system.
Fiyaz Mughal, founder of interfaith groups Tell Mama, Faith Matters and Muslims Against Anti-Semitism, described the results as “shocking but not shocking either.”
He said: ‘Hamas is an extremist Islamist and terrorist group and has been terrorizing Gazans, Israelis and liberals within society for decades.
Dr. Alan Mendoza is executive director of the Henry Jackson Society, a think tank specializing in counterextremism.
“The feeling that Hamas did not carry out massacres and rapes in Israel is atrocious because it shows a closed mentality to everything that emanates from Israel.”
‘The findings confirm that there is much work to be done to inform, challenge and address old anti-Semitic tropes that still circulate among some of my coreligionists.
‘The Government needs to offer better guidance to teachers, schools and educational establishments. The investment must be made as soon as possible because we run a real risk of suffering from a social cohesion problem.’
Henry Jackson Society executive director Alan Mendoza criticized what he called “the failure of anti-extremism policy over the years.”
He said: “What is probably going wrong is an unwillingness 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 showed armed men dragging a body and throwing it into the back of a car in Israel.
The cropped video also showed a Hamas fighter shooting a dog to death during the Oct. 7 attack.
Hamas man sets fire to Israeli residence during October 7 atrocities
‘There is a reluctance to denounce it in the same way that people are very happy to denounce right-wing extremism.
“The Government needs to find a way to support and strengthen the voice of moderate Muslims and put aside the extremist narrative.”
A government spokesman said: ‘We have recently set out a series of measures that will promote social cohesion and counter religious hatred.
“Our plan will address the division in our communities and ensure we protect our democratic freedoms across the country.”