A recent survey by the Pew Research Center revealed that nearly half of Muslims in the United States express a favorable opinion towards the terrorist group Hamas, a fact that has raised significant concern.
The study, released on Thursday, indicates that 44% of American Muslims surveyed expressed a favorable view of the group, a figure considerably higher than that recorded among other religious groups.
In comparison, that level of support reaches 17% among Black Protestants, just 4% among White evangelical Protestants, and 8% among Catholics.
Muslims in the United States
At the same time, perceptions of the Israeli people show a marked gap between communities. Only 26% of American Muslims have a favorable opinion of Israelis, while that number rises to 74% among White evangelical Protestants, 51% among Catholics, and 55% among Black Protestants.
The report also notes a shift in generational trends. Young Americans, regardless of their religion, show a greater inclination to have positive opinions about Palestinians compared to Israelis, a variation that deepened after the attacks on October 7.
The results generated reactions within the Muslim community itself. British-Palestinian writer John Aziz harshly criticized favorable positions towards Hamas: “The majority of these losers who express their approval of Hamas have never lived under an authoritarian and tyrannical government like Hamas.” He added: “It’s absolute madness that they support Hamas. A bunch of theatrical clowns.”
Leftist terrorists
In the same vein, researcher Hussain Abdul-Hussain from the Foundation for Defense of Democracies linked the data to surveys conducted in Palestinian territories. “A Pew survey showing that 44 percent of Muslims in the United States support Hamas aligns with Palestinian surveys, according to those conducted by the Palestinian PCPSR [Palestinian Center for Survey and Research],” he wrote.
Furthermore, he raised questions about the future political landscape: “Given the Pew data on American Muslims' support for Hamas and the PCPSR data on Palestinian opposition to the two-state solution, support for Hamas, and October 7, the question is: How can Israel make peace with a Muslim population whose majority rejects it?”
