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| 2005/11/10-12 [Politics/Foreign/Europe, Politics/Foreign/MiddleEast/Others] UID:40532 Activity:nil |
11/10 http://pewglobal.org/reports/display.php?PageID=809 "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. ... 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." (July 14, 2005) http://pewglobal.org/reports/display.php?ReportID=206 (March 16, 2004) [note that support for suicide bombings against coalition forces in Iraq dropped from 70 to 49% in Jordan from the '04 to '05 reports] |
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| pewglobal.org/reports/display.php?PageID=809 Concerns over Islamic extremism, extensive in the West even b efore this month's terrorist attacks in London, are shared to a consider able degree by the publics in several predominantly Muslim nations surve yed. Nearly three-quarters of Moroccans and roughly half of those in Pak istan, Turkey and Indonesia see Islamic extremism as a threat to their c ountries. At the same time, most Muslim publics are expressing less supp ort for terrorism than in the past. Confidence in Osama bin Laden has de clined markedly in some countries and fewer believe suicide bombings tha t target civilians are justified in the defense of Islam. Nonetheless, the polling also finds that while Muslim and non-Muslim publ ics share some common concerns, they have very different attitudes regar ding the impact of Islam on their countries. Muslim publics worry about Islamic extremism, but the balance of opinion in predominantly Muslim co untries is that Islam is playing a greater role in politics and most wel come that development. 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 close ly associated with worries about Muslim minorities. Western publics beli eve that Muslims in their countries want to remain distinct from society , rather than adopt their nation's customs and way of life. Moreover, th ere is a widespread perception in countries with significant Muslim mino rities, including the US, that resident Muslims have a strong and grow ing sense of Islamic identity. For the most part, this development is vi ewed 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 mo re 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 Musl im countries point to poverty, joblessness and a lack of education, but pluralities in Jordan and Lebanon cite US policies as the most importa nt 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 de fense of Islam has declined significantly. In Turkey, Morocco and Indone sia, 15% or fewer now say such actions are justifiable. In Pakistan, onl y one-in-four now take that view (25%), a sharp drop from 41% in March 2 004. 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 defe nse of Islam. When it comes to suicide bombings in Iraq, however, Muslims in the survey ed countries are divided. Nearly half of Muslims in Lebanon and Jordan, and 56% in Morocco, say suicide bombings against Americans and other Wes terners in Iraq are justifiable. However, substantial majorities in Turk ey, Pakistan and Indonesia take the opposite view. As in past Global Attitudes surveys, publics in predominantly Muslim countries believe that democracy can work in their countries. La rge and growing majorities in Morocco (83%), Lebanon (83%), Jordan (80%) and Indonesia (77%) as well as pluralities in Turkey (48%) and Pakistan (43%) say democracy can work well and is not just for the West. Yet there is some ambivalence about the role of Islam in government. Majo rities or pluralities in each of the predominantly Muslim countries surv eyed, except for Jordan, say Islam is playing a greater role in politics than a few years ago. But those who see Islam playing a large role in p olitical life are also somewhat more likely to say that Islamic extremis m poses a threat to their countries. Overall, the sense that Islamic extremism poses a major national threat i s strongest in Morocco, the site of a devastating terrorist attack two y ears ago, where nearly three-quarters of the public (73%) hold that view . In Pakistan, 52% believe Islamic extremism presents a very or fairly g reat threat to the country, as do 47% in Turkey. In Lebanon, opinions ar e divided, with Christians much more likely to see Islamic extremism as a threat than Muslims. And just 10% of Jordanians view Islamic extremism as at least a fairly great threat. Outside the Muslim world, the Pew survey finds that in countr ies such as India, Russia, Germany and the Netherlands, concerns about I slamic extremism both within their own borders and around the world are running high. Worries over Islamic extremism are nearly as high in Franc e and Spain. Concerns about terrorism at home and around the world run p arallel in only three countries, Russia, India and Spain. Before the Lon don terrorist attacks, Americans and Britons expressed more concern abou t extremism around the world than they did at home. There also is evidence that these concerns are associated with opposition to Turkey's entry into the European Union. Overall, nearly two-thirds o f French (66%) and Germans (65%) oppose Turkey's EU bid, as do a majorit y of the Dutch (53%). Support for Turkey's admittance to the EU is most extensive in Spain (68%) and Great Britain (57%). An analysis of the polling finds that opposition to Turkey's admission is also tied to growing concerns about national identity. Negative views a bout immigration not only from the Middle East and Africa but from Easte rn Europe as well are even more strongly related to opposition to Turkey 's admission to the EU than are concerns over Islamic extremism. Nonetheless, favorable views of Muslims outpace negative views in most co untries of North America and Europe. Hostility toward Muslims is much lo wer in Great Britain, the United States and Canada than in other Western countries surveyed. And while worries about Islamic extremism are subst antial in these three English speaking countries, the survey found somew hat less concern about rising Islamic identity among their resident Musl im populations. Islam in Politics A complex set of attitudes about the place of Islam in politics emerges f rom the findings. Most people surveyed in predominantly Muslim countries identify themselves first as Muslims, rather than as citizens of their country. Moreover, except in Jordan, there is considerable acknowledgeme nt that Islam is playing a significant role in the political life of the se countries. Worries about extremism are often greater among those who believe Islam h as a significant voice in the political life of their country. The polling finds that those in Turkey who self-identify primarily with their nationality worry more about Islamic extremism than do those who think of themselves first as Muslim. However, Muslim publics who see Islam's influence in politics increasing say that this trend is good for their country, while those who see Islam 's influence slipping overwhelmingly say it is bad. Turkey, whose EU can didacy is weakened by European worries about Islamic extremism, has the least clear cut opinions on this issue. An increasing role for Islam in politics in Turkey, a country that has been officially secular since 192 3, is seen as a bad thing. Those in Turkey who see Islam's influence dim inishing are divided over whether this is good (44%) or bad (47%). Majorities in Great Britain, France, Canada, the US and Rus sia, as well as pluralities in Spain and Poland, say they have a somewha t or very favorable view of Muslims. In the West, only among the Dutch a nd Germans does a majority or plurality hold unfavorable views of Muslim s (51% and 47%, respectively). For their part, people in predominantly Muslim countries have mixed views of Christians and strongly negative views of Jews. In Lebanon, which ha s a large Christian minority, 91% of the public thinks favorably of Chri stians. Smaller majorities in Jordan and Indonesia also have positive vi ew... |
| pewglobal.org/reports/display.php?ReportID=206 A year after the war in Iraq, discontent with America and its policies has intensified rather than diminished. Opinion of the United States in France and Germany is at least as negative now as at the war's conclusion, and British views are decidedly more critical. Perceptions of American unilateralism remain widespread in European and Muslim natio ns, and the war in Iraq has undermined America's credibility abroad. Dou bts about the motives behind the US-led war on terrorism abound, and a growing percentage of Europeans want foreign policy and security arrang ements independent from the United States. Across Europe, there is consi derable support for the European Union to become as powerful as the Unit ed States. In the predominantly Muslim countries surveyed, anger toward the United S tates remains pervasive, although the level of hatred has eased somewhat and support for the war on terrorism has inched up. Osama bin Laden, ho wever, is viewed favorably by large percentages in Pakistan (65%), Jorda n (55%) and Morocco (45%). Even in Turkey, where bin Laden is highly unp opular, as many as 31% say that suicide attacks against Americans and ot her Westerners in Iraq are justifiable. Majorities in all four Muslim na tions surveyed doubt the sincerity of the war on terrorism. Instead, mos t say it is an effort to control Mideast oil and to dominate the world. There has been little change in opinion about the war in Iraq except in Great Britain, where support for the decision to go to war ha s plummeted from 61% last May to 43% in the current survey. Among the coalition of the " unwilling," large majorities in Germany, France and Russia still believe their countries made the right decision in not taking part in the war. Moreover, there is broad agreement in nearly all of the countries survey ed the US being a notable exception that the war in Iraq hurt, rather than helped, the war on terrorism. In the four predominantly Muslim countries surveyed, opposition to the wa r remains nearly universal. Moreover, while large majorities in Western European countries opposed to the war say Saddam Hussein's ouster will i mprove the lot of the Iraqi people, those in Muslim countries are less c onfident. In Jordan, no less than 70% of survey respondents think the Ir aqis will be worse off with Hussein gone. This is the latest in a series of international surveys by th e Pew Global Attitudes Project. It was conducted from late February to e arly March in the United States and eight other countries, with fieldwor k under the direction of Princeton Survey Research Associates Internatio nal. The survey finds a significant point of agreement in opinion on Ira q's future. Overwhelming majorities in all countries surveyed say it wil l take longer than a year to establish a stable government in Iraq. But there are deep differences about whether the US or the United Nations would do the best job of helping Iraqis to form such a government. is the clear choice of people in Western Europe and Turkey; However, roughly half of Jordanians and a third of Moroccans volunteered that neither the US nor the UN could do best in this regard. Americans have a far different view of the war's impact on the war on ter rorism and the global standing of the US than do people in the other s urveyed countries. Generally, Americans think the war helped in the figh t against terrorism, illustrated the power of the US military, and rev ealed America to be trustworthy and supportive of democracy around the w orld. Majorities in Germany , Turkey and France and half of the British and Russians believe the con flict in Iraq undermined the war on terrorism. At least half the respond ents in the eight other countries view the US as less trustworthy as a consequence of the war. For the most part, even US military prowess i s not seen in a better light as a result of the war in Iraq. A growing number in Western Europe also think that the United States is o verreacting to the threat of terrorism. Only in Great Britain and Russia do large majorities believe that the US is right to be so concerned a bout terrorism. Many people in France (57%) and Germany (49%) have come to agree with the widespread view in the Muslim countries surveyed that the America is exaggerating the terrorist threat. Nevertheless, support for the US-led war on terrorism has increased dramatically among Russians, despite their generally critical opinion of US policies. More than seven-in-ten Russians (73%) currentl y back the war on terrorism, up from 51% last May Since the end of the Iraq war, there also have been gains in support for the US anti-terror ism campaign in Turkey (from 22% to 37%) and Morocco (9% to 28%). On the other hand, backing for the war against terrorism has again slipped in France and Germany; only about half of the public in each country favors the US-led effort. Publics in the surveyed countries other than the United States express co nsiderable skepticism of America's motives in its global struggle agains t terrorism. Solid majorities in France and Germany believe the US is conducting the war on terrorism in order to control Mideast oil and domi nate the world. People in Muslim nations who doubt the sincerity of Amer ican anti-terror efforts see a wider range of ulterior motives, includin g helping Israel and targeting unfriendly Muslim governments and groups. Large majorities in almost every country surveyed think that American and British leaders lied when they claimed, prior to the Iraq w ar, that Saddam Hussein's regime had weapons of mass destruction. On bal ance, people in the United States and Great Britain disagree. Still, abo ut three-in-ten in the US (31%) and four-in-ten in Great Britain (41%) say leaders of the two countries lied to provide a rationale for the wa r In that regard, opinions of both President Bush and British Prime Ministe r Tony Blair are negative. Large majorities in every country, except for the US, hold an unfavorable opinion of Bush. Blair is rated favorably only by a narrow majority in Great Britain but fully three-quarters of Americans. In contrast, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan is viewed posi tively in nearly all nine countries surveyed, with Jordan and Morocco as prominent exceptions. The United Nations itself engenders varied reactions around the world. Ju st 55% of Americans have a favorable opinion of the world body. This is the lowest rating the UN has achieved in 14 years of Pew Research Cent er surveys. People in Russia and the Western European countries have a c onsiderably more favorable view of the UN But large majorities in Jord an and Morocco hold negative views of both the UN and the man who lead s it. Majorities in the Western European countries surveyed believe their own government should obtain UN approval before dealing with an international threat. That idea is much more problematic for Americans, and on this issue Russians and people in Muslim countries are much clos er to Americans than they are to Western Europeans. Despite that small piece of common ground, however, there is still consid erable hostility toward the US in the Muslim countries surveyed. Subst antial numbers in each of these countries has a negative view of the US . Overwhelming majorities in Jordan and Morocco believe suicide attacks against Americans and other Westerners in Iraq are justifiable. As a poi nt of comparison, slightly more people in those two countries say the sa me about Palestinian suicide attacks against Israelis. About half of Pakistanis also say suicide attacks on Americans in Iraq an d against Israelis in the Palestinian conflict are justifiable. Fewer respondents in Turkey agree, but slightly more Turks vi ew suicide attacks on Americans in Iraq as justifiable as say the same a bout Palestinian attacks on Israelis (31% vs. Other Findings Despite concerns about rising anti-Semitism in Europe, there are no indic ations that anti-Jewish sentiment has increased over the past decade. Fa vorable ratings of Jews are actually higher now in France, Germany and R ussia than they were in 1991. Nonetheless, Jews are better liked in the US than in Germany and Russia.... |