LONDON, July 19, 2005 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - Two-thirds of Britons believe the July 7 bombings in London were linked to Prime Minister Tony Blair's support for the US-led invasion of Iraq, according to a poll published late Tuesday, July 19.

The ICM survey for the Guardian newspaper found 33 percent of Britons believe Blair bears “a lot” of responsibility for the attacks, whose death toll rose Tuesday to 56, and a further 31 percent believe he bears “a little" responsibility.

Only 28 percent of those polled said Iraq and the London bombings were not connected.

The survey suggests the government is losing the battle to persuade people that terrorist attacks on the UK have not been made more likely by the invasion of Iraq.

The poll makes it clear that voters believe further attacks in Britain by suicide bombers are also inevitable, with 75% of those responding saying there will be more attacks.

ICM interviewed a random sample of 1,005 adults aged 18+ by telephone between July 15 and 17. Interviews were conducted across the country.

A report by a respected British think-tank reached the same conclusion Tuesday, saying there was a link between the invasion of Iraq and the bombings.

“There is no doubt that the situation over Iraq has imposed particular difficulties for the UK, and for the wider coalition against terrorism,” said the report by the Royal Institute of International Affairs.

Former British cabinet minister Clare Short said Sunday, July 17, she “had no doubt” the bombings were linked to Britain's role in the invasion-turned-occupation.

“When in fact we are implicit in the slaughter of large numbers of civilians in Iraq and supporting a Middle East policy that for the Palestinians creates this sense of double standards -- that feeds anger,” she stressed.

The Iraq war link, however, was angrily rejected by Blair, who lashed out at the “evil ideology” of the brainwashed attackers.

Police inspect a rucksack and question two men during a security alert in Oxford Street, London. (Reuters)

In the same poll, a clear majority - 71% - want the government to exclude or deport from the UK foreign Muslims who incite hatred, with only 22% believing such people should be allowed to live in the UK.

Fifty-three percent of those questioned said they believed ID cards should be brought in to help in the fight against terrorism.

The government is now preparing a new legislation for hatred-inciting preachers and extremists, who glorify and encourage terrorist attacks. Such figures could be banned from entering Britain or deported if they are already in the country.

The government also wants to outlaw “acts preparatory to terrorism,” such as giving or receiving training for attacks, Reuters reported.

Home Secretary Charles Clarke said he and his opposite numbers had agreed to publish the legislation in October with a view to passing it into law by the year-end.

British police said four young British-born Muslims, three of them of Pakistani origin, carried out attacks on three underground trains and a double-decker bus in London.

Investigators have found no indication the explosives carried timers, meaning they were manually detonated by the four bombers.

British Muslim scholars have condemned the bombings as “absolutely un-Islamic,” but warned that society needs to fight economic deprivation and social exclusion, which contributed to extremism.

On Monday, July 18, Imams from about 500 British mosques issued a fatwa, or edict, condemning violence and presented it to politicians at Westminster. The fatwa will be read out at mosques during prayers this Friday, according to Reuters.