Muslims believe U.S. goal to weaken Islam:
poll
Tue Apr 24, 2007 2:29 PM ET
By Michelle Nichols
NEW YORK (Reuters) - More than 70 percent of Egyptians, Pakistanis,
Indonesians and Moroccans believe the United States is trying to
weaken and divide the Islamic world, a poll released on Tuesday
showed.
The survey by WorldPublicOpinion.org also showed more than 40
percent thought that was the primary goal of the U.S.-led war on
terrorism, while only 12 percent believed Washington's aim was to
protect the United States from attack.
"While U.S. leaders may frame the conflict as a war on terrorism,
people in the Islamic world clearly perceive the U.S. as being at
war with Islam," Steven Kull, editor at the Washington-based group,
said in a statement.
The face-to-face survey, of between 1,000 and 1,200 people in each
country from December to February, also found about 30 percent
approved of attacks on U.S. military in Iraq, Afghanistan and the
Gulf.
But 60 percent said suicide bombings were never justified and 67
percent believed Islam was opposed to attacks against
civilians.
"Attitudes toward al Qaeda are complex. On average, only three in
ten view Osama bin Laden positively. Many respondents express mixed
feelings about bin Laden and his followers and many others decline
to answer," WorldPublicOpinion.org said.
More than half believed al Qaeda's goals included achieving a
strict application of Sharia law in every Islamic country, with
more than 70 percent agreeing with that aim.
More than 50 percent believed the militant Islamist group was
pushing the United States to remove its bases and military forces
from all Islamic countries and 63 percent agreed with that
goal.
But the poll found uncertainty about whether al Qaeda was
responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States in
2001. Some 20 percent believed the U.S. government was behind the
attacks.
"On average less than one in four believes al Qaeda was responsible
for September 11th attacks. Pakistanis are the most skeptical --
only 3 percent think al Qaeda did it," said
WorldPublicOpinion.org.
"There is no consensus about who is responsible for the attacks on
New York and Washington; the most common answer is 'don't
know'."
More than half those surveyed believed the United States was trying
to spread Christianity in the Middle East, while nearly 60 percent
thought one of Washington's goals was to maintain control over the
oil resources of the Middle East.
