WASHINGTON – Attitudes about Muslim-Western relations have become slightly more positive in the U.S., Britain, France, Germany and Russia compared with five years ago, though negative views between Muslim countries and the West persist on both sides, a Pew Research Center survey found.

The survey, by Pew’s Global Attitudes Project, found majorities of Muslims surveyed in five of six Muslim-dominant countries and the Palestinian territories described non-Muslim Westerners as selfish and greedy. In all of the six Western countries surveyed, fewer than 30 percent of non-Muslims said they consider Muslims respectful of women.

Ten years after the Sept. 11 attacks, Muslims in the Middle East and Asia and non-Muslims, both have concern about Islamic extremism.

Majorities of Muslims interviewed in most of the predominantly Muslim nations surveyed were inclined to say relations with people in Western countries are bad. There has been no overall improvement in those views in the predominantly Muslim nations in the last five years.

Westerners are less likely to believe relations are poor today than they were five years ago.

Pew’s survey shows significant mistrust remains between the average person on the “Muslim street” and the general public in Western nations, said Arsalan Iftikhar, a human rights attorney who is writing a book about Muslims post-Osama bin Laden. “Both Westerners and Muslims alike tend to point the proverbial finger at the ‘other’,” Iftikhar said..