Out of All Europeans, The French View Muslim Minorities Most Favorably

According to a poll conducted by Pew Research well in advance of yesterday’s suspected Islamist terror attack on the offices of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris, the French have an overwhelmingly positive view of the country’s Muslim community.

An estimated 6 million Muslims live in France, accounting for about 10 percent of the population. In spring 2014, 72 percent of people in France indicated they have a favorable view of Muslim minorities, the highest level across seven European countries surveyed.

This is in stark contrast to Greece, Poland and Italy where less than half those polled view Muslims in their country favorably. Italians were actually the most critical of all Europeans, with just 28 percent holding a favorable view.

The Union des Organisations Islamiques de France, which represents over 250 Muslim organizations across the country, strongly condemned yesterday’s attacks, along with Arab governments and Muslim leaders around the world.