The survey by pollster Ifop in Le Figaro newspaper showed 60% of people believed Islam was "too important" in France in terms of its influence and visibility, up from 55% two years ago.

It found 43% of respondents considered the presence of the Muslim community a threat to their national identity, compared with just 17% who said it enriched society. Forty per cent of those questioned were indifferent to the presence of Islam, Le Figaro said.

"Our poll shows a further hardening in French people's opinions," Jerome Fourquet, head of Ifop's opinion department, told the newspaper yesterday.