news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20050714/wl_nm/muslims_binladen_dc
click here The survey by the Pew Research Center examined public opinion in six pred ominantly Muslim nations: Morocco, Pakistan, Turkey, Indonesia, Jordan a nd Lebanon. It also examined views in nine North American and European c ountries as well as in India and China. In all, more than 17,000 people were questioned either by telephone of face-to-face. "There's declining support for terrorism in the Muslim countries and supp ort for Osama bin Laden is declining. There's also less support for suic ide bombings," said Pew Center director Andrew Kohut. "This is good news, but still there are substantial numbers who support b in Laden in some of these countries," he told a news conference. In Morocco, 26 percent of the public now say they have a lot or some conf idence in bin Laden, down from 49 percent in a similar poll two years ag o In Lebanon, where both Muslims and Christians took part in the survey, on ly 2 percent expressed some confidence in the Saudi-born al Qaeda leader , down from 14 percent in 2003. In Turkey, bin Laden's support has fallen to 7 percent from 15 percent in the past two years. In Indonesia, it has dropped to 35 percent from 58 percent. However, in Jordan, confidence in bin Laden, who took responsibility for the Sept. A similar picture emerged when respondents were asked whether suicide bom bings were justifiable. In Morocco, 13 percent said they often or someti mes could be justified, down from 40 percent in 2004. MORE JORDANIANS SUPPORT BOMBINGS In Indonesia, 15 percent expressed that view, down from 27 percent in the summer of 2002. Support for suicide bombings also fell in Pakistan and dropped dramatically in Lebanon. However, support rose in Jordan, to 57 percent from 43 percent in 2002. Kohut noted there had been devastating attacks on civilians in Indonesia, Morocco and Turkey in recent years and a rash of assassinations and bom bings recently in Lebanon. Both in western countries and the Muslim world, respondents expressed fea rs about Islamic extremism. Seventy-three percent in Morocco and 52 percent in Pakistan saw Islamic e xtremism as a threat to their country. The figure was 84 percent in Russ ia, 78 percent in Germany, and an identical 70 percent in Britain and th e United States. The poll was taken well before last week's bombings in London. When asked what caused Islamic extremism, 40 percent in Lebanon and 38 pe rcent in Jordan blamed US policies and influence; in Morocco, Pakistan and Turkey, respondents were more likely to blame poverty, unemployment or poor education. Despite terrorism fears, majorities in Britain, the United States, France , Canada and Russia and pluralities in Spain and Poland expressed favora ble views about Muslims. But in Germany and the Netherlands, opinion swung to an unfavorable view. Fifty-one percent of those surveyed in the Netherlands expressed an unf avorable view of Muslims. In Germany, 47 percent were unfavorable, compa red with 40 percent who expressed favorable views. Anti-Jewish sentiment was overwhelming in the Muslim countries. In Lebano n, 100 percent of Muslims and 99 percent of Christians said they had a v ery unfavorable view of Jews, while 99 percent of Jordanians also viewed Jews very unfavorably.
Saudi-born militant Osama bin Laden speaks at a news conference in Af ghanistan in this May 26, 1998 file photo. Support for Osama bin Laden a nd suicide bombings have fallen sharply in much of the Muslim world, acc ording to a multicountry poll released on July 14. The survey by the Pew Research Center examined public opinion in six predominantly Muslim nat ions: Morocco, Pakistan, Turkey, Indonesia, Jordan and Lebanon.
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