A 27-country poll has found most of those surveyed reject the idea that the world is locked in a “clash of civilizations,” and believe tensions between Islam and the West are political — not the result of religious or cultural differences.

The British Broadcasting Corp. World Service poll of more than 28,000 people found an average of 52 per cent believe tensions between Muslims and non-Muslims are caused by political power and interests, compared with 29 per cent who say religion and culture are root causes.

Most Muslim, non-Muslim and Westerner respondents rejected the idea that violent conflict between Islam and the West is inevitable.

Although 28 per cent said violence was inevitable, twice as many — 56 per cent — believe “common ground can be found.”

Since the September 11 attacks, countries around the world have struggled with how to deal with radicalism at home and abroad. The poll’s results are hopeful, showing most believe differences between Muslims and Westerners can be worked out, said Steven Kull, director of the Program on International Policy Attitudes at the University of Maryland, which conducted the survey with pollsters from GlobeScan.

“Most people around the world clearly reject the idea that Islam and the West are caught in an inevitable clash of civilizations,” Kull said.

Fifty-eight per cent blame tensions on intolerant minorities — not cultural groups as a whole. But, 26 per cent identified fundamental differences between the cultures as the cause. In Britain, 77 per cent believe common ground can be found between Muslim and Western cultures, compared with 15 per cent who see violence as inevitable. In the US, 64 per cent believed in common ground but 31 per cent saw conflict as inevitable.

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