Almost half of Muslims living in Britain believe that prejudice against Islam makes it difficult for them to follow their faith in the country, a survey has found.
A poll of British Muslims for the BBC suggests that 46 per cent believe that the nation is becoming less tolerant of Muslims.
Despite their unease almost all, 95 per cent, said they felt a loyalty to the country, with a similar number (93 per cent) saying Muslims in Britain should always obey British laws.
The ComRes survey found that the vast majority (85 per cent) of British Muslims feel no sympathy for those who want to fight against Western interests, against 11 per cent who do.
Almost half (49 per cent) believe Muslim clerics who preach that violence against the West can be justified are out of touch with mainstream Muslim opinion, but 45 per cent disagree.
The survey found that most British Muslims oppose violence against people who publish images depicting the Prophet Mohammed, while one in four (27 per cent) said they had some sympathy for the motives behind the attacks in Paris on satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo.
However, more than two thirds (68 per cent) say acts of violence against those publishing images of the Prophet can never be justified, with a quarter (24 per cent) disagreeing.
Muslim women were more likely than men to feel unsafe in Britain.
* ComRes polled 1000 Muslims in Britain for the BBC Radio 4 Today program.
