Article

2005-07-14 Terror Networks & Islam

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Posted by Steve 2005-07-14 14:00|| || Front Page|| [2 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 Theres more in another AP piece

Public confidence in bin Laden has dipped sharply since May 2003 in Indonesia, Morocco, Lebanon and Turkey â all countries that have experienced recent terrorist bombings.

Makes sense, good.
But
In Pakistan and Jordan, a majority of people continue to say they have at least some confidence in bin Laden, the Saudi who leads al-Qaida.

"Support for Osama bin Laden is waning, but there are still people who admire him and view him as a hero," said Ulil Abshor Abdala, chairman of the Islamic Liberal Network, a non-governmental organization in Indonesia that supports religious moderation and interfaith harmony.

"For some youth Osama Bin Laden is like Che Guevera, it does not matter what you say, he is a hero to them. Our challenge is how to limit the extent of this heroic admiration among the youth," Abdala said.

The United States remains broadly unpopular in those heavily Muslim countries. Solid majorities of the people in Lebanon, Pakistan, Turkey, Jordan and Indonesia have an unfavorable view of the United States, while Moroccans are split. Young people in Morocco, Lebanon, Pakistan and Turkey view America more favorably than the overall populations in those countries, the polling found.

Reasons for Islamic extremism varied from one majority-Muslim country to the next. Poverty and a lack of jobs were mentioned most often in some countries, while U.S. policies and influence were mentioned in others. Lack of education, immorality and lawlessness also were cited.

"The concern about the causes of extremism are varied," said Wendy Sherman, who was counselor for the State Department in the Clinton administration. "When the U.S. government looks at our counterterrorism efforts, we clearly have to use a variety of approaches."

The Pew survey found some conflicting feelings about Islam in majority-Muslim countries.

In all of those countries except Jordan, people were more likely to say Islam is playing a greater role in their countries than it did a few years ago. The increasing role of Islam was overwhelmingly seen as a positive development in all those countries except Turkey. Respondents said growing immorality, government corruption and concerns about Western influence were among their reasons for turning to Islam.

A majority of people in Morocco and Pakistan say Islamic extremism greatly threatens their country, and almost half in Indonesia and Turkey said it poses a great threat. Few people in Lebanon and Jordan felt that way.

Posted by liberalhawk 2005-07-14 16:11|| 2005-07-14 16:11|| Front Page Top

#2 100% of Hypers say: "Death Before Dihmitude", but only after taking some with...

Posted by Hyper">Hyper 2005-07-14 18:10|| 2005-07-14 18:10|| Front Page Top

#3 And another thing. The establishment clause says Congress can't ESTABLISH a state religion. It says notheing about outlawing a "religion".

Posted by Hyper">Hyper 2005-07-14 18:11|| 2005-07-14 18:11|| Front Page Top

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