The research was carried out by the Pew Research Center and also found high levels of satisfaction among Muslims with their lifestyles in America.

However, the figures of those young Muslims who back suicide bombings has caused alarm. Of those questioned, just two per cent said it was justified. But 13 per cent said it could be justified “sometimes” and another 11 per cent said it was acceptable “rarely”.

The head of the US-based Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy told AP: “It’s a hair-raising number”.

Although he qualified this by saying most of America’s 2.3 million Muslims would interpret it as combating occupation, for example in the Palestinian Authority, it was nevertheless likely to raise questions about the peaceful nature of Islam.

The figures suggesting support for suicide bombings among American Muslims are far lower than among Muslims in some other countries, previous research for Pew revealed.