A new poll by the Pew Research Center reports on "Islamic Extremism: Common Concern for Muslim and Western Publics," with thanks to Mark Krikorian.
Concerns over Islamic extremism, extensive in the West even before this month's terrorist attacks in London, are shared to a considerable degree by the publics in several predominantly Muslim nations surveyed. Nearly three-quarters of Moroccans and roughly half of those in Pakistan, Turkey and Indonesia see Islamic extremism as a threat to their countries. At the same time, most Muslim publics are expressing less support for terrorism than in the past. Confidence in Osama bin Laden has declined markedly in some countries and fewer believe suicide bombings that target civilians are justified in the defense of Islam.Nonetheless, the polling also finds that while Muslim and non-Muslim publics share some common concerns, they have very different attitudes regarding the impact of Islam on their countries. Muslim publics worry about Islamic extremism, but the balance of opinion in predominantly Muslim countries is that Islam is playing a greater role in politics – and most welcome that development. Turkey is a clear exception; the public there is divided about whether a greater role for Islam in the political life of that country is desirable.
In non-Muslim countries, fears of Islamic extremism are closely associated with worries about Muslim minorities. Western publics believe that Muslims in their countries want to remain distinct from society, rather than adopt their nation's customs and way of life. Moreover, there is a widespread perception in countries with significant Muslim minorities, including the U.S., that resident Muslims have a strong and growing sense of Islamic identity. For the most part, this development is viewed negatively, particularly in Western Europe. In France, Germany and the Netherlands, those who see a growing sense of Islamic identity among resident Muslims overwhelmingly say this is a bad thing.
The latest survey by the Pew Global Attitudes Project, conducted among more than 17,000 people in 17 countries this spring, finds that while many Muslims believe that radical Islam poses a threat, there are differing opinions as to its causes. Sizable minorities in most predominantly Muslim countries point to poverty, joblessness and a lack of education, but pluralities in Jordan and Lebanon cite U.S. policies as the most important cause of Islamic extremism.
The polling also finds that in most majority-Muslim countries surveyed, support for suicide bombings and other acts of violence in defense of Islam has declined significantly. In Turkey, Morocco and Indonesia, 15% or fewer now say such actions are justifiable. In Pakistan, only one-in-four now take that view (25%), a sharp drop from 41% in March 2004. In Lebanon, 39% now regard acts of terrorism as often or sometimes justified, again a sharp drop from the 73% who shared that view in 2002. A notable exception to this trend is Jordan, where a majority (57%) now says suicide bombings and other violent actions are justifiable in defense of Islam.
Despite the headline, these numbers are very revealing. The British estimate for its terrorism supporting Muslim minority is 1%, or a "mere" 16,000 out of 1.6 million British Muslims. But if we take the lowest number of terrorism supporters, (15% in Morocco) and averaged it with the highest number, (57% in Jordan) then we have a possible 36% average for Muslim support for terrorism. 36% of 1.6 million in Britain comes to 576,000 potential terrorism supporters. In America we don't actually know how many Muslims are living here, but if we take Daniel Pipes' estimate of 2.6 million and average it with the CAIR estimate of 7 million, we get 4.8 million. If, of these, 36% support terrorism, then we have 1,728,000 Muslims living in the US who potentially support terrorism.
When it comes to suicide bombings in Iraq, however, Muslims in the surveyed countries are divided. Nearly half of Muslims in Lebanon and Jordan, and 56% in Morocco, say suicide bombings against Americans and other Westerners in Iraq are justifiable. However, substantial majorities in Turkey, Pakistan and Indonesia take the opposite view.
Read it all.
The article above is very interesting. I particularly like this part:
"The latest survey by the Pew Global Attitudes Project, conducted among more than 17,000 people in 17 countries this spring, finds that while many Muslims believe that radical Islam poses a threat, there are differing opinions as to its causes. Sizable minorities in most predominantly Muslim countries point to poverty, joblessness and a lack of education, but pluralities in Jordan and Lebanon cite U.S. policies as the most important cause of Islamic extremism."
Islamic extremism is caused by perhaps poverty, joblessness, lack of education or U.S. policies. And all this time I thought ISLAM caused ISLAMIC extremism! What a joke! The questions that you ask will determine the answers that you get.
The questions that you ask will determine the answers that you get.
Aptly put mentat. Am convinced this is another whitewash job on part of the mainstream media. When truth manages to unwittingly sneak out, like happened in the Freedom House report, it gets buried under the debris of irrelevancies.
Don't be fooled:
One in two Muslims polled say... I like terror!!!
Not only do these poll numbers put the lie to the oft stated assertion by our leadership and the Muslim obscurantists that the terrorists and those who adore terrorism represent a tiny minority of Muslims... I think it blithely sidesteps an ominous conclusion one might draw from the 'lesser' levels of support among Muslims. Surely it would be reasonable to conclude that Bin Laden's inability to deliver another megaterror attack might be the reason he's no longer the apple of their eye...? While it's nice to see that terror support among 'average' Muslims has shrunken from landslide majorities to about half the Muslim population, does anyone imagine that their support for terrorism wouldn't swell to gargantuan proportions if another successful megaterror attack were conducted?
The poll also linked the lower support to the advent of terror attacks within the countries polled for the shrinkage of support for this "method" of "defending Islam..." Again, couldn't one conclude that Muslims only object to terrorism if it hurts them!?! The Saudis didn't lift a finger until the malignancy started to swell on their streets... If it's limited to the 'kaffir' or infidels, well then, bombs away!!! I have often noticed the change in the voice of Muslim commentators, who will 'condemn' the deaths of terror victims in a bland rehearsed voice: "of course we condemn these barbaric acts... blah blah blah ... Why wouldn't I condemn these acts?" but they will suddenly express deep emotion when they add-- "these 'people' are killing MUSLIMS after all!!!" i.e. 'who cares about dead infidels, but precious MUSLIMS!? NOOOOOOOO!!!'
It is a telling glimpse of their true sentiments regarding terror and its victims...
These numbers and this linkage are no reasons to celebrate. But I do take heart that Bin Laden's inability to launch new megaterror, and our efforts to humiliate the extremists and jihadis seems to be yeilding demoralization among the vast Islamic conspiracy that supports jihad against the 'infidel...'
Had this ridiculous poll (imagine, if you will, who is going out to ask the highly tendentious questions of Muslims, some of them no doubt well aware, at least in non-Muslim countries, that it would be best if they expressed their abhorrence of terrorism, which of course means nothing, while those in such places as Jordan may not bother with what the Infidels think), asked the right questions:
1. "Would you define for us what you think the word 'terrorism' means"?
2. To what extent do you think terrorism has been effective, or will be in the future, as an instrument of Jihad"?
3. "Do you approve of terrorism as an instrument of Jihad?"
These are the questions that were not asked. And they are the only ones that count.
Newspapers all over will print the "results" of this PEW poll. But will anyone ask what the word "terrorism" was defined as, if it was defined at all?
Will anyone question a poll such as this, where those giving answers may possibly be hiding their real beliefs (or endowing words with a meaning we may not share), now that Muslims are beginning to comprehend that the patience of the Infidels is wearing thin, and Infidel understanding of Islam is increasing, and so perhaps it is time to lay on the mental makeup, tittivating oneself with taqiyya, in orderr to get ready for Islam's collective closeup with the increasingly impatient Mr. DeMilles of the Infidel world.
I don't believe this poll. Even if Pew didn't falsify their results, too many muslims lied in response to the pollsters' questions. I mean, c'mon! It's obvious. Muslims form a permanent underclass in Europe. Despite all the political correctness, Europeans still make sure that the muslims feel that they don't quite belong. Why then would the muslims sympathize with their "oppressive" hosts? Whenever their mujahideen brothers and sisters kill infidels, OF COURSE they rejoice in the privacy of their homes, where there hang framed pictures of Mecca and quotations from the qur'an preaching jihad. Furthermore, other permanent minority underclasses reinforce each other, which explains the phenomenon of arab jihadist rappers calling for jihad, just as black rappers incite to "kill whitey" and "kill the po-lice".
Islamic terrorism is only part of a larger problem, a self-inflicted weakness that Western politicians inflicted on their societies with the consent of the governed.
Political correctness = suicide. This Pew poll is worthless.
Oh, only 10 million Turks supporting Islamic terrorism? Well, then there's no problem accepting them to the EU, right?!
same sh!t, differant flavor.
if a poll came out saying 99% of muslims say the sky is blue on a bright, cloudless day, i wouldn't believe it til i went outside and checked.
i WILL believe muslims are sick of jihad when they start marching jihadis down to the police station at gunpoint, by only if it's by the hundreds or thousands. and even then, they have to be willing to stick their necks out and agree to testify.
Whatever opinions one may hold, that averaging of percentages between points A and B and applying it to volumes at C and D thing? Kind of a weird thing to do.