British worries on Islamic extremism rise: Poll

By Staff
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Google Oneindia News

Washington, Jul 7: Worries about Islamic extremism in Britain rose markedly in the year since the London bombings, while growing numbers of Britons say immigration from the Arab world is a bad idea, according to a survey.

In a new poll by the Pew Global Attitudes Project released on the eve of the attacks' one-year anniversary, 42 percent of people surveyed in Britain said they were very concerned about the rise of Islamic extremism in the country, compared to 34 percent in May 2005.

In Germany, 40 percent said they were very concerned, up from 35 a year earlier. In France, which faced riots that included residents of Arab and African origin last year, and Spain, itself the victim of Islamic militant bombings in 2004, the numbers dropped to 30 from 32 percent and to 35 from 43 percent respectively.

Forty-three percent of Muslims surveyed in Britain also said they were very concerned by rising Islamic extremism, compared to 26 percent in France, 23 percent in Germany and 21 percent in Spain.

Over the past year, the number of people in Britain who thought immigration from the Middle East and North Africa was a ''good thing'' dropped to 57 percent from 61.

In France, the figure rose to 58 from 53 percent, in Germany it was steady at 34 percent and in Spain it dropped to 62 from 67 percent.

The results were part of a survey of 13 countries in Europe, the Middle East and Asia, which also included the United States. Not all questions were directed at the entire survey group.

REUTERS

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