Muslims’ concern for extremist groups has increased, while Hezbollah appeared as the least disliked — or most favored — among al-Qaeda, Taliban and Hamas, a Pew Research Global Attitudes Project survey (conducted in 11 Muslim countries) found earlier this month.

Intriguingly, for the Turkish public, only 1% is reported to view Hamas as “very favorable” and 4% as “somewhat favorable,” while 71% view the organization as unfavorable. This did not make the news in mainstream Turkish media. Only English-language Today's Zaman, which has a very limited Turkish readership, published a brief report about the results. 

Evaluating the report and why it wasn't reported in mainstream Turkish media, Justice and Development Party (AKP) pundits told Al-Monitor: “Pew is biased against Muslims.” Some tweeted, “Pew is Islamophobic.” One pundit asked, “How can you believe this rubbish?” And another insisted, “It must be a technical mistake.”

Pew Research Center is a Washington-based, non-partisan fact tank established in 2004 with transparent donor and data available online. Pew is widely respected all around the world, especially for its timely and wide-reaching public opinion polling.