Norwegians more skeptical of Islam

Oslo, Norway - Nearly half of those polled say they have become more skeptical about Islam as a religion after the global uproar around the Mohammed caricatures.

The result comes from a survey carried out by InFact for Norway's best-selling newspaper VG.

According to the survey, which was carried out on Tuesday, 47.8 percent of those asked said they were more skeptical about Islam, while 36.7 percent their opinion of the religion had not been affected by the caricature controversy. A small group of 6.5 percent said they were less skeptical about Islam after the turmoil.

At the same time, 30.8 percent say that they have become more mistrustful towards Norwegian Muslims after the caricature reactions, while 53.6 percent say their attitude towards this group has not been affected. About 6.8 percent said they were less suspicious of Norwegian Muslims after the controversy.

Fully seven out of ten polled said they expected Muslims in Norway to have a harder time in the wake of the international controversy.