Via Reuters:
Large majorities in Muslim countries are increasingly worried about Islamist militancy and oppose its best-known groups, such as the global al-Qaida movement, Nigeria’s Boko Haram and Hamas, according to a new survey.
The survey asked about suicide bombing as a specific form of militant violence and found the highest support for it in the Middle East at 46 percent in Gaza and the West Bank, a drop from 70 percent in 2007.
Support for violent tactics such as suicide bombing has fallen in many countries over the past decade, although some states still have significant minorities approving it, the survey by the Washington-based Pew Research Center said.
Terror group Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, has been losing support, the survey said. Negative views about Hamas among Gazans rose to 63 percent from 54 percent last year.
The group appears to be more popular in the West Bank, run by President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah movement, where only 47 percent of those polled had a negative image of Hamas.