NPR: Poll Results Question Assumptions about Muslim World

Poll Results Question Assumptions about Muslim World

Here's an eye-opener for you.

The Gallup World Poll analyzed a series of polls taken between 2005 and 2007 that covered about 90 percent of the Muslim world. It found that just 7 percent of those surveyed said the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, were morally justified.

That's despite strong anti-Americanism in many Muslim nations. In one of them, Indonesia, no one who supported the attacks did so for religious reasons — instead, they cited mostly secular issues like U.S. foreign policy. In fact, many of those who didn't support the attacks gave humanitarian or religious reasons.

Dalia Mogahed, executive director of the Center for Muslim Studies at the Gallup Organization, writes that the results of the polls question the assumptions of the war on terror. "Defining the current conflict as a battle between Western values and 'radical Islam' misses the root cause of terrorism while energizing the very perception that fuel sympathy for it — that Islam itself is under attack," she writes.

The study of the polls did show that the minority who approved of the attacks often said the greatest danger their countries faced was "occupation and U.S. domination." If the West wants better relations with the Muslim world, they said, it "should respect Islam and stop imposing its beliefs and policies."

Among moderates, economics was the main danger for their countries, "and along with respecting Islam, they see economic support and investments as a way for the West to better relations." (This supports the findings of a separate poll done by the Pew Global Attitudes Project.)

12:58 PM ET | 09-13-2007 | permalink

Comments (Send a comment)

Thanks for posting this Mr. Regan. I couldn't agree more with Dalia Mogahed. By invading Iraq, for many Muslims we appear to be every inch of the beasts that Osama Bin Laden says we are. OBL has no better friend than our dear president and his neocon henchmen. It's like the anti-Castro crowd in Fla. the more they threaten Fidel, the more his people rally around him. Those who say this war in Iraq is a clash of civilizations are saying precisely the same thing as Osama. So who does everyone else want to believe: people who see war as the only solution and a conversion to a particular ideology at gunpoint as inevitable (Islam or secular, democratic, free-market capitalism), or people who want to live and let live, with ideology only having value if it is adopted willingly, free of fear or intimidation, as a matter of personal choice? That is where the real clash lies.

Sent by John R. Otten | 2:24 PM ET | 09-13-2007

This is a kind of public forum that was long needed to correct the misguided notion " war on terror". The current US adminstration has succeeded in recruiting more Muslims to the Bin Laden camp.The fact that Dic Cheney like and the like minded, will push for Iraqi invasion and advocate for the world in two camps, " either you are with us or with the terrorist" was a huge mistake. The Bin Laden camp were complaining of Islamic lands invasions by American troops like in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait etc. They complain about not being fair hadling the Palestian isseus, they see America as being the supporter of their currupt dictators in their homelands. Then when given the pretest for " war on terror" the administration played right into Bin Laden's hand by invading another Muslim land, turn eye aware from turture and even became part of, isolate the Palestinians more and then ask for the world moderate Muslims to support the US. Any common sense human who analyses this will tell you we are heading in a very dangerously wrong directions.Why did we lost all our senses and fall into group think?.What will be the good ideal thing to do is to know there is no "war on terror" but rather some criminal element in the islamic people who are fighting the US. Immidiatly disingage in most of the Muslim lands including from Iraq. Either solve the Palestinian problems or total disingage from that area.Fight those criminal elements who want to kill American not by sending military foces abroad, but by collaborations with local governments where ever they have refuge. Stop supporting dictators and should not interfair on internal affairs of nations. We should advocate democracy equally to all or none at all.The true democracy should be what the people want for themself not what a foreigner brought to them. This will bring peace and harmoney. Otherwise we are self distroying our selves.

Sent by Chedebowe Dopo | 7:05 AM ET | 09-15-2007

7% means there are literally tens of millions of Muslims who think the attacks were justified.

Sent by Ames | 12:46 PM ET | 09-15-2007

The poll question looking for a correlation between religiosity and political extremism is informative but only in a limited way. The questions asked were about whether 1. they had been to a religious service in the last week & 2. religion is an important part of daily life. First, we should question whether these are a good questions for measuring "religious fanaticism," as the article claims. It might be a better measure of religious piety or devotion. A better question to ask would be: Should women be permitted to hold public office & express their opinions? Should women be allowed to show their faces in public? To uncover their heads? To dress as they choose? And polls could tweak those questions a bit & add some others. A more informative poll would not test whether the people are devout Muslims but whether their beliefs are compatible with the rights of man so dear to modernity.

Another difficulty with the poll has to do with making a sharp distinction between religious & secular reasoning. Consider, as an example, St Augustine's theory of just war. Would it really be accurate to call this a purely secular theory? I don't think it would and this despite the fact that one can give a summary of it without any reference to God or to scripture. Or consider a more pedestrian example of the person who once was Christian & cited "thou shalt not kill," as the reason he would not murder. When he leaves the faith, is he at a loss to understand whether murder is wrong? Of course not, but that hardly means the commandment not to kill was never religious to begin with.

Sent by Matthew | 9:28 AM ET | 09-16-2007

7% means that for every one muslum who thinks the attacks were justified there are 13 who do not think so. That is hundreds of millions who do not think the attacks of Sept 11th were justified. This good news.

Sent by Bob Gilkeson | 11:37 AM ET | 09-16-2007

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