Every tenth supports ISIS in UK

Shocking results have been obtained by the ICM Research fellows in Britain, after conducting a poll on ISIS support in the country.

Photo: AP Photo

Every tenth British resident claims to be the ISIS supporter.

The findings indicate that, despite continued atrocities and horrific executions, support for ISIS in the UK has grown from seven per cent to nine per cent since last year. Thus, up to half of the three million Muslims living in Britain could be regarded as ISIS supporters or sympathizers.

While support seems to be on the rise, opposition has strengthened, with 80 percent registering a "very unfavorable" view of ISIS, a rise from 45 percent last year.

Omer El-Hamdoon, president of the Muslim Association of Britain, claimed that the reason for such a rise in support of ISIS in Britain could be down to the government.

"One reason may be due to the perception that ISIS represents an opponent to the West and those who are dissatisfied or disenfranchised with the new Tory policies - of further cuts and civil rights strangulation - are using this anonymous platform to express their frustration", El-Hamdoon said.

Worldwide support for ISIS meanwhile stands at 8.5 million people who view the terror group "positively", and approximately 42 million more who consider ISIS "somewhat positively".

Research conducted last year by the Washington Institute, found that ISIS has substantially less support in Arab nations than it does in European countries, including Britain. The group has practically no popularity in Egypt, Lebanon, or Saudi Arabia.

An ICM poll last year also indicated that 1 in 6 French people have a positive attitude toward the Islamic State, which at the time represented twice as many as in Britain.

"The sheer numbers of people going out there to Syria and Iraq indicate that this support is there." Haras Rafiq from counter-extremism thinktank the Quilliam Foundation noted. "Many more might not be ready to move there just yet, but the longer that IS retain the land they have seized, the more we will see people being persuaded to join." he said.

Also read: USA and UK masterminded rise of ISIS in Iraq and Syria

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