New Delhi: Public debate in the United States has long focused on the influence of the pro-Israel lobby in shaping Washington’s West Asian policy. However, fresh public opinion data measuring attitudes towards Hamas among Muslims in the United States has shifted attention to another aspect of the debate, levels of sympathy for the Palestinian militant group within sections of the country’s Muslim community. The findings have reignited discussions over radicalisation, social integration, domestic security and the long-term implications for counter-terrorism policy.
The data, drawn primarily from Pew Research Center surveys and compared with earlier polling by Cygnal and studies conducted in the United Kingdom, has prompted renewed scrutiny of changing public attitudes towards Islamist militant organisations and whether sympathy for such groups is becoming more socially acceptable within sections of Western Muslim communities.
Hamas support registers noticeable increase
According to the latest Pew survey, 44 per cent of Muslims in the United States expressed a positive view of Hamas, compared with 37 per cent recorded in a similar survey conducted in 2024. The increase of roughly seven percentage points represents an almost 20 per cent rise in favourable opinion over the earlier findings.
The data has drawn particular attention because Hamas is designated as a terrorist organisation by the United States and several other countries.
Based on America’s Muslim population, commentators analysing the figures argue that the results could indicate that around two million Muslims hold favourable opinions of Hamas if the survey accurately reflects the wider community. They also note that 50 per cent of respondents expressed support for the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) or the Palestinian Authority (PA), organisations that critics accuse of involvement in or association with terrorism, including allegations that elements linked to the Palestinian Authority participated in the October 7, 2023 attacks against Israel.
Earlier surveys suggest deeper support for Hamas
Analysts have also revisited findings from previous Pew polling, arguing that favourable views alone may not fully capture ideological support.
The 2024 Pew survey found that 49 per cent of American Muslims believed Hamas had “valid” reasons for attacking Israel, while 21 per cent acknowledged supporting the October 7 attacks. Although the latest Pew survey did not ask respondents those specific questions, some researchers argue these earlier responses may serve as indirect indicators of support for Hamas’s objectives and methods.
Based on the increase in favourable opinion recorded in the latest survey, some commentators speculate that support for Hamas’s motives and tactics could also have risen proportionately, potentially translating into approximately 58 per cent approval of Hamas’s motives and 24 per cent support for the October 7 attacks.
Additional polling appears to reinforce the broader trend. A Cygnal survey conducted only days after the October 7 attacks found that 38.6 per cent of American Muslims viewed the Hamas leadership positively, while 42 per cent believed Hamas was justified in carrying out the attacks.
Comparisons with Britain and questions over youth radicalisation
Similar concerns have emerged in Britain. A 2024 UK survey reported that 46 per cent of British Muslims sympathised with Hamas, with support rising to 56 per cent among younger Muslims. The latest Pew survey in the United States did not provide an age-wise breakdown of Muslim respondents, leading some analysts to suggest that younger American Muslims could potentially express even higher levels of support if comparable demographic data were released.
The comparison has strengthened arguments among security commentators that expressions of sympathy for Hamas are not confined to a single country but may reflect wider ideological developments across sections of Muslim communities in Western nations.
According to these assessments, the principal trend is not necessarily a dramatic increase in support among the wider American public, but rather a growing willingness among some Muslims to express favourable opinions publicly.
Some analysts attribute this to changing political discourse, extensive social media activity, campus activism and increasingly polarised debates surrounding Israel and the Palestinian conflict, arguing that these developments have made such opinions more socially acceptable than in previous years.
Political Divides: Democrats, progressives and public opinion
The surveys also reveal notable political and demographic differences. Among Democrats, favourable opinion towards Hamas increased from 12 per cent in 2024 to 14 per cent in the latest survey. Among Democrats aged 18 to 29, support reached 16 per cent.
Outside Muslim communities, Black Americans recorded the highest favourable rating at 17 per cent, although this remains significantly below the figures reported among Muslim respondents.
Analysts also point to earlier Cygnal polling conducted immediately after the October 7 attacks, which found 15 per cent favourability towards the Hamas leader among Democrats and 19 per cent among self-described progressives. Within that group, 13 per cent of progressives described their opinion as “very favourable.”
Some observers argue that these numbers indicate sympathy towards Hamas within parts of the political Left existed from the beginning of the conflict rather than emerging gradually.
However, analysts also emphasise that while criticism of Israel has become more common among Democrats, this has not translated into broad public endorsement of Hamas itself.
Polling suggests that 43 per cent of Democrats now hold favourable views of the Israeli people, reflecting a significant decline. Among Republicans, favourable opinion towards Israel reportedly fell from 76 per cent before October 7 to 65 per cent afterwards. Some commentators attribute this partly to alleged influence campaigns originating from Qatar that targeted conservative social media personalities.
Meanwhile, 67 per cent of Democrats expressed favourable views of the Palestinian people, compared with 33 per cent of Republicans. Support for the Palestinian Authority or PLO stood at 33 per cent among Democrats and 14 per cent among Republicans, rising to 43 per cent among younger Democrats.
Analysts argue these figures suggest growing sympathy for Palestinians, particularly among younger progressives, while direct support for organisations designated as terrorist groups remains considerably more limited outside Muslim communities.
Dearborn, Hezbollah debate and broader security questions
Beyond Hamas, commentators argue that available polling provides only limited insight into attitudes towards other Islamist organisations such as Hezbollah.
The city of Dearborn, Michigan, home to one of America’s largest Arab-American populations, frequently features in discussions surrounding these issues.
Former federal prosecutor Abed Hammoud, a Lebanese immigrant who previously ran for mayor of Dearborn and once headed the Congress of Arab American Organizations, criticised earlier government actions targeting Hezbollah, arguing they unfairly portrayed the wider Arab-American community. He remarked that many people feared publicly stating that they wanted Hezbollah to defend Lebanon.
Osama Siblani, publisher of the Arab American News and another former leader of the Congress of Arab American Organizations told The Washington Post that while former President George W. Bush regarded Hezbollah, Hamas and Palestinian factions as terrorist organisations, he considered them “freedom fighters.”
The issue resurfaced when Dearborn Mayor Abdullah H. Hammoud defended naming a street after Siblani. During the controversy, Hammoud reportedly warned one Christian resident to leave the city, while Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and other public officials sent congratulatory messages recognising the street dedication.
Analysts argue that no comprehensive polling currently measures levels of support for Hezbollah among American Muslims, leaving researchers without reliable data on attitudes towards the Iranian-backed Lebanese organisation.
The Cygnal survey also explored perceptions of Hamas relative to ISIS and Al Qaeda. Among Muslim respondents, 19 per cent said Hamas was not as bad as ISIS, 31 per cent believed Hamas was worse, while 50 per cent considered the two organisations equally severe. Regarding Al Qaeda, 18 per cent ranked Hamas more favourably, whereas 53 per cent regarded Hamas and Al Qaeda as equivalent.
Based on those comparisons, some analysts argue that if support for Hamas has now risen to 44 per cent, then around 20 per cent of American Muslims could also potentially express favourable attitudes towards Al Qaeda or ISIS, although this conclusion represents an analytical inference rather than a direct survey finding.
They further compare these projections with British surveys reporting that one in four Muslims supported the 7/7 London bombings and the Charlie Hebdo attacks, arguing that similar patterns could potentially exist within the United States.
The debate ultimately extends beyond public opinion on Hamas. Security experts, policymakers and community leaders continue to disagree over whether these figures reflect ideological radicalisation, political protest over the Israel-Hamas conflict, or broader dissatisfaction with Western foreign policy.
Yet the surveys have undeniably intensified discussions over counter-extremism strategies, immigrant integration, domestic security and the challenge of distinguishing between political expression and sympathy for organisations officially designated as terrorist groups, while also shifting greater public attention beyond the traditional focus on Washington’s pro-Israel lobby to evolving attitudes towards Hamas within sections of the American Muslim community.
