Author: AFP
Publication: The Times of India
Date: August 20, 2007
URL: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-2293214,prtpage-1.cms
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.
