Muslims in Britain have a more favourable view of Communist China, Vladimir Putin’s Russia, and the theocratic Islamist regime in Iran than the United States, a poll has found.
According to a survey by JL Partners for the Policy Exchange Think Tank, which polled a nationally representative sample of 2,223 adults in Britain, as well as 1,031 Muslims living in the UK, found a stark difference in worldview.
The survey was conducted between March 2nd and 13th, during the outset of the American-Israeli joint military operation against Iran.
The survey found that Muslims in Britain were five times more likely to hold a positive opinion of the Iranian regime than the British public as a whole, with 39 per cent of Muslims having a favourable view of the mullahs in Tehran compared to just 8 per cent of all people in the UK.
Meanwhile, Muslim respondents also had a significantly better opinion of Russia, with 29 per cent of Muslims holding a positive view of the Putin regime compared to 8 per cent of average Britons. Similarly, 38 per cent of Muslims in Britain hold a favourable opinion of Communist China, compared to 15 per cent among the public as a whole.
“In both cases, the net favourability rating (‘favourable’ minus ‘unfavourable’) of British Muslims to Russia and China is positive, whereas for the general population it is strongly negative. This exposes a certain British Muslim scepticism of Western geopolitics, holding relatively favourable views towards countries which could be perceived as having hostile anti-West regimes,” Policy Exchange noted.
In contrast, Muslims in Britain have a net negative view of both Israel and the United States at -52 and -41, respectively. This is compared to a -22 view of Israel and -16 view of the United States by the British public overall.
Opinions were also divergent on the conflict in Iran, with 45 per cent of Muslims polled saying they did not believe that Iran posed a serious threat prior to the military operation against the regime, compared to just 14 per cent of the British public who felt the same.
Muslims in Britain were also more likely to say that the U.S-Israeli strikes were “definitely wrong” at 50 per cent, compared to just 17 per cent of the public as a whole. Four in ten Muslims respondents also said that they thought securing Iran’s oil reserves was the primary aim of the conflict, compared to just 15 per cent of the public.
The generally supportive view towards Iran comes despite the fact that the overwhelming majority, some 84 per cent, of Muslims in Britain identify as Sunni, while Iran and its leadership come from the Shia faction of the faith. Conversely, the Sunni theocracy in Saudi Arabia is held in lower regard than Iran by UK Muslims.
Policy Exchange noted that the findings are a further “illustration of geopolitical considerations trumping any sense of denominational tribalism (especially British Muslim disillusionment over Saudi Arabia’s previous willingness to entertain the normalisation of relations with Israel).”
Remarking on the overall results of the poll, the think tank concluded: “The degree to which the ongoing Iran conflict will spill over into ethno-religious tensions in modern Britain remains to be seen, but two in five members of the UK public believe that it has already made ethnic and religious relations worse in the UK.
“British politicians, policymakers, and practitioners are faced with the serious challenge of fostering a more cohesive and resilient society in a global environment defined by its volatility and uncertainty.”
