(BP) — Constant violence in the name of Islam may be turning Iraqi youth against Islamic extremists, some observers in the country believe. Interviews with 40 young people in five Iraqi cities over the course of two months revealed anecdotal evidence that young people blame Muslim clerics for ongoing violence and rules that limit their freedom in everyday life.

“I hate Islam and all the clerics because they limit our freedom every day and their instruction became heavy over us,” a high school student in Basra said, according to The New York Times. “Most of the girls in my high school hate that Islamic people control the authority because they don’t deserve to be rulers.”

Under strict Islamic law, young people caught smoking have had their fingers broken and young people with long hair have had it cut and force-fed to them, The Times reported. University professors reportedly are having difficulty recruiting students for religion classes, and attendance at weekly prayers appears to be down in some areas.

“I used to love Osama bin Laden,” a 24-year-old Iraqi college student said. “Now I hate Islam. Al Qaeda and the Mahdi Army are spreading hatred. People are being killed for nothing.”