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Do Muslims Really Hate Us?

Ever since 9/11, Americans have been highly suspicious of Muslims. While there a certain amount of healthy skepticism of a religion that many believe to be at the root of much of the unrest in today's world may be warranted, a new survey from Gallup sheds some light on what Muslims really think. The truth is, the vast majority of them have positive feelings about America.

Among the study's findings:

About 93 percent of the world's 1.3 billion Muslims are moderates and only seven percent are politically radical;
Only seven percent of the billion Muslims surveyed -- the radicals -- condoned the attacks on the United States in 2001;

In only a few countries did a majority say that Sharia should have no role in society; yet in most countries, only a minority want Sharia as "the only source" of law. In Jordan, Egypt, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh, majorities want Sharia as the "only source" of legislation;

Forty-six percent of Americans say that the Bible should be "a" source, and 9% believe it should be the "only" source of legislation;

Perhaps even more surprising, 42% of Americans want religious leaders to have a direct role in writing a constitution, while 55% want them to play no role at all. These numbers are almost identical to those in Iran;

Perhaps most important is the fact that radical Muslims gave political, not religious, reasons for condoning the attacks of 9/11. This is an indicator that it is our actions and our government's policies, not our culture that offends radical Muslims. Perhaps our leaders should take a close look at this survey?

Posted by Paul Gessing on March 7, 2008 08:03 PM |

Comments

While I don't doubt the general point -- that "most" Muslims are moderates, not radicals prone to violence -- I'm taking this survey with a grain of salt.

Methodologically, I wonder how this survey was conducted? What percentage of Muslims even have phones? And even if they all do, is there a good database for them all? And, I dunno, were I a radical Muslim, I sure as heck ain't gonna volunteer that I want to chop off the infidels head to a pollster.

Posted by: Robert Capozzi | March 8, 2008 06:47 AM

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