Half of the British Muslim population say they are discriminated against in the United Kingdom as it has become less tolerant towards Muslims, according to an opinion poll.
While almost all Muslims in Britain — 95 percent — say they feel a loyalty to the country, 46 percent said prejudice against Islam makes it difficult to be a Muslim in Britain, the ComRes polling and research consultancy published Wednesday.
Only 6 percent of the 1,000 British Muslims polled by telephone between 26 January and 20 February said they felt disloyal towards the country, in a survey conducted after two attacks in Paris left 17 people dead in January.
In reference to the attack on the offices of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in the French capital on 7 January, about two-thirds, or 68 percent, said acts of violence against those who published images of Prophet Muhammad could never be justified while nearly a quarter, 24 percent, disagreed.
'Out of touch'
Although 27 percent said they had some sympathy for the motives of those behind the attacks on the Charlie Hebdo offices, a total of 93 percent said they believed Muslims in Britain should always obey British laws.
Eleven percent of British Muslims said they felt sympathetic towards people who wanted to fight against western interests, while 85 percent said they did not.
Nearly half — 49 percent — said they believed Muslim clerics preaching that violence against the West could be justified were out of touch with mainstream Muslim opinion, while 45 percent disagreed.
It is estimated that there are more than 2.8 million Muslims in Great Britain — about 4.4 percent of the population.
