More Moderate Muslims

[dreamer_easy]

2005 report from the Pew Global Attitudes Project: Islamic Extremism: Common Concern for Muslim and Western Publics: "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."

This 2006 news item from the Beeb made me laugh, in a bleak sort of way: Survey highlights Islam-West rift: "Many Westerners see Muslims as fanatical, violent and intolerant... Muslims, for their part, tend to view the West as selfish, immoral, and greedy - as well as fanatical and violent - the survey says." From the survey itself: "Western publics, by lopsided margins, do not think of Muslims as "respectful of women." But half or more in four of the five Muslim publics surveyed say the same thing about people in the West."

Interestingly, a majority of Muslims said they believed democracy can work in Muslim countries, while Westerners were more sceptical about it. Oh, and: "Muslims differ over whether there is a struggle in their country between Islamic fundamentalists and groups wanting to modernize society. But solid majorities of those who perceive such a struggle side with the modernizers."

It really does seem as though the average Muslim has a lot more in common with the average Westerner than a lot of us might think, and that there's a struggle going on in Islamic societies between hardline religion and a more open society, and between supporting violence and looking for other ways to resolve conflicts - rather like there is in the West.

Comments

[hnpcc]

I'm still a bit stunned by the numbers who don't think Arabs carried out the WTC attacks. I'd be fascinated (although possibly not surprised) to find out who they think did it.

[kateorman.livejournal.com]

That's a good one, eh! I snagged the full report, but frustratingly, they only asked whether or not it was Arabs, not who the alternative perpetrators supposedly were - I can only think of bizarre conspiracy theories. Will have to do more Googling. I wonder if the bullshit about Iraq's WMD has made people completely sceptical of everything reported in the Western media.

[hnpcc]

Well the most common conspiracy theory in the middle east appears to be "the Jews did it". Which I heard both in Egypt and from a couple of people of middle eastern background that I and my husband work with in Melbourne. As I understand it, the theory is that there were no Jews killed in the collapse because the Worldwide Conspiracy Leadership told them all to get out before the attacks. Any reports of Jews being killed are therefore false and part of the Worldwide Conspiracy to blame the Arabs for everything. *shrug*

It's not just in the middle east, apparently that one's made the rounds in the US as well.

[kateorman.livejournal.com]

Heh. It's hard to mock the many Americans who think the guvmint was somehow involved - not on the basis of actual evidence, just because I wouldn't put it past the bastards! (OTOH, look at all the people who thought Saddam had something to do with it!)