Sharp Decline in Support for Suicide Bombing in Muslim Countries Pew Global Attitudes Project -Released: 07.24.07
Among the most striking trends in predominantly Muslim nations is the continuing decline in the number saying that suicide bombing and other forms of violence against civilians are justifiable in the defense of Islam. In Lebanon, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Indonesia, the proportion of Muslims who view suicide bombing and other attacks against civilians as being often or sometimes justified has declined by half or more over the past five years. Wide majorities say such attacks are, at most, rarely acceptable. However, this is decidedly not the case in the Palestinian territories. Fully 70% of Palestinians believe that suicide bombings against civilians can be often or sometimes justified, a position starkly at odds with Muslims in other Middle Eastern, Asian, and African nations. [Figure] http://pewglobal.org/reports/display.php?ReportID=257 --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Sal Sunshine <salsunsh...@...> wrote: > > On Nov 22, 2009, at 1:54 PM, do.rflex wrote: > > > >> Alright, at the risk of being so labelled, I'm > >> going to quote from one of Sam Harris' books, > >> The End of Faith, in which he starts out by describing > >> a seemingly ordinary day in the life of a seemingly > >> ordinary young man, as he boards a bus: > >> > >> "The young man takes his seat beside a middle-aged couple smiles. > >> With the press of a button he destroys himself, the couple at his > >> side, and twenty others on the bus. The nails, ball bearings, and rat > >> poison ensure further casualties on the street and in the surrounding > >> cars. All has gone according to plan. > >> The young man's parents soon learn of his fate. Although saddened to > >> have lost a son, they feel tremendous pride at his accomplishment. > >> They know that he has gone to heaven and prepared the way for them to > >> follow. He has also sent his victims to hell for eternity. It is a > >> double victory. > >> > >> These are the facts. This is all we know for certain about the young > >> man . Why is it so easy, then, so trivially easyyou-could-almost- > >> bet- > >> your-life-on-it easyto guess the young man's religion?" > >> > >> > >> While the passage is chilling enough, IMO, the real > >> kicker I think is the second paragraph, in which > >> his friends, neighbors and even his parents celebrate his final > >> "victory." > >> > >> I suppose you could label Harris a bigot too, > >> altho he never mentions the young man's religion, > >> or much of anything else about him, > >> it being clearly unnecessary. > >> > >> I think Vaj has Islam as it is practiced today > >> in much of the world pinned down, and all > >> these attempts to label him and discredit > >> what he's said are pathetic. Nobody ever > >> denied there are terrorists in most faiths, > >> but in no other *today* has it been so > >> accepted and even glorified. > >> > >> Anyway, I thought things were getting a bit > >> dull this morning and that Vaj might like a > >> break, so have at it. :) > >> > >> Sal > >> > > > > Nobody can tell me that 1.3 billion human beings are predisposed by > > their religion to condone what that boy in Harris' story did. > > Of course not all are, flex, just many. > Still doubtful? On page 126 he puts up > the results of a poll he took asking respondents > in 12 Muslim nations if suicide bombing in defense > of Islam is ever justified. The results are > scary. In 10 of those countries, an overwhelming > majority believe that yes, it is justified. Only > in Pakistan (where you have a tie) and Turkey > (with a mere 20% believing it) do you not > have a majority. And as Harris points out, even > if all the countries were as relatively benign as > Turkey, it would still be a major problem. > > I'm sure you could find fault with the poll, or ask > how it was conducted, etc. But it looks pretty > straightforward to me. > > Sal >
