EAST Lancashire community leaders have welcomed a poll suggesting the majority of British Muslims oppose violence against people who publish images depicting the Prophet Mohammed.

The BBC survey also indicates most of those interviewed had no sympathy with those who want to fight against Western interests.

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However, 27 per cent of the 1,000 Muslims polled by ComRes said they had some sympathy for the motives behind the Paris attacks, with 80 per cent saying they had found it deeply offensive when images depicting the Prophet were published.

County Councillor Mohammed Iqbal, who represents Brierfield and Nelson North, said although he agreed cartoons of the Prophet were offensive, he was with the 68 per cent of respondents who said violence in response should never be the answer.

He said: “I do not have any problem with the survey and I think it is reflective of the loyalty Muslims have to this country. I think these polls are useful but, rather than concentrating on one section of the community, they should represent a cross-section.

“A lot of Muslims in this area were born and brought up here and we regard ourselves as English. The fact that we practise the Muslim faith is just a way of living.

“What upsets a lot of people, including me, is when there is a small minority of people that have perverse views of Islam. Every Muslim I have met is a law-abiding citizen. So-called Islamic State does not follow the Islam that I follow.

“I was offended by the drawings of the Prophet Mohammed. It causes upset, but there are other ways to vent your anger. Killing people is not the answer.”

Abdul Hamid Qureshi, chairman of the Lancashire Council of Mosques, added: “I do not think it is a negative thing to find out what people think, but people may have concerns because there is a lot of propaganda, which Muslims are victims of. “I would like people to see how the Muslim mind thinks - it is a very constructive mind and their engagements are positive in society. It is their faith’s requirement.”

The findings of the ComRes survey:

  • 95% feel a loyalty to Britain
  • 93% say they should obey British laws
  • 46% feel prejudice against Islam makes it difficult being Muslim in Britain
  • 78% are offended when images of the Prophet Muhammad are published
  • 27% had some sympathy for the motives behind the Paris attacks.
  • 11% feel sympathy for people who want to fight against western interests
  • 32% were not surprised by January’s attacks on the Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine
  • 35% said they felt most British people did not trust Muslims,
  • 20% said they thought Western liberal society could never be compatible with Islam
  • 20% of Muslim women questioned said they felt unsafe in Britain, compared with 10% of men 49% believe Muslim clerics preaching that violence against the west can be justified are out of touch with mainstream Muslim opinion