WASHINGTON, May 21, 2007
Poll: 26% Of Young U.S. Muslims OK Bombs
But Poll Also Shows Majority Of Muslims In U.S. Fit Comfortably, Reject Rise Of Extremism
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(AP / CBS)
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The survey by the Pew Research Center, one of the most exhaustive ever of U.S. Muslims, revealed a community that in many ways blends comfortably into society. Its largely mainstream members express nearly as much happiness with their lives and communities as the general public does, show a broad willingness to adopt American customs, and have income and education levels similar to others in the U.S.
Even so, the survey revealed noteworthy pockets of discontent.
While nearly 80 percent of U.S. Muslims say suicide bombings of civilians to defend Islam cannot be justified, 13 percent say they can be, at least rarely.
That sentiment is strongest among those younger than 30. Two percent of them say it can often be justified, 13 percent say sometimes and 11 percent say rarely.
"It is a hair-raising number," said Radwan Masmoudi, president of the Washington-based Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy, which promotes the compatibility of Islam with democracy.
He said most supporters of the attacks likely assumed the context was a fight against occupation — a term Muslims often use to describe the conflict with Israel.
U.S. Muslims have growing Internet and television access to extreme ideologies, he said, adding: "People, especially younger people, are susceptible to these ideas."
Federal officials have warned that the U.S. must be on guard against homegrown terrorism, as the British suffered with the London transit bombings of 2005.
Even so, U.S. Muslims are far less accepting of suicide attacks than Muslims in many other nations. In surveys Pew conducted last year, support in some Muslim countries exceeded 50 percent, while it was considered justifiable by about one in four Muslims in Britain and Spain, and one in three in France.
"We have crazies just like other faiths have them," said Eide Alawan, who directs interfaith outreach at the Islamic Center of America, one of the largest mosques in the U.S. He said killing innocent people contradicts Islam.
Andrew Kohut, Pew director, called support for the attacks "one of the few trouble spots" in the survey.
The question did not specify where a suicide attack might occur, who might carry it out or what was meant by using a bombing to "defend Islam."
The survey estimates there are roughly 2.35 million Muslim Americans.
In other findings:
© MMVII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Michelle Obama tells how her role as the First Lady has changed her perspective.
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See all 245 CommentsNow are the Americans journalist who are like the army and acting pursuing I do not know what kind of legendary celebrity. Every day we see news that should no be displaying. Journalist please, we are handling with beast. REMEMBER, beast. The Muslims folks who are 99% not a civilized folks are programmed to KILL.
They only are the imitation of the American way of life in their shirts and jeans, but inside they always will be uncivilized animals predators.
Journalists stop to show the degenerative Muslim world. What you are doing is exactly what they want to have publicity about there uncivilized world and free of charge. While we must vomiting every evening before so much TV degeneration news.
I had had enough with the Yugoslavia massacre but now you are showing every day, here, or in Iraq, in Afghanistan, in Israel. STOP. PLEASE!
Where are the professionals%u2019 journalists that no stop the amoral world full of no professional but of sharks without education or moral or religious believing?
Amorphous-humans looking for the salary of the dea
I would love to see a poll among westerners, asking what do they think of suicide bombings and see how many agree with them. I take a guess: a whole lot less than 1/3!! So please stop the religious squabbling and wake up to the reality of how many people in this country want you and your family and your children randomly killed in the name of their own beliefs. I bet you that not even a staunch bible-basher like singingrick would think it's ok to blow people up in the name of Jesus.
How many American soliders have been killed by Iraqis?
How many Iraqis have been killed by their own people (insurgents)?
Forget about religion or politics, show everyone here you are intelligent enough to provide proof of your statements and I'll be convinced.
Using statements without specifics = worthless opinion
Posted by ralan40 at 12:37 PM : May 23, 2007
10's of thousands of innocent Iraqi's have been killed by American soldiers. Bush himself said he believed the number was around 35,000. There have been just over 3200 American troops killed and the number of Iraqi's killed by Iraqi's is somewhere around 30-40 thousand. So Bush is certainly competitive, though some outside observers (like the British) say he's killed closer to 100,000 and I'd tend to believe them over him any day. Then again I'd believe Mickey Mouse over Bush any day. Oh and this thread is a religious/political one, so how is it intelligent to answer a question about religion/politics, while leaving religion and politics out? Seems like a pretty stupid suggestion.
Posted by BareEmperor at 11:37 AM : May 23, 2007
..Question, just how many innocent Iraqis have been killed by Americans?
How many American soliders have been killed by Iraqis?
How many Iraqis have been killed by their own people (insurgents)?
Forget about religion or politics, show everyone here you are intelligent enough to provide proof of your statements and I'll be convinced.
Using statements without specifics = worthless opinion
Posted by grazinggoat at 11:40 AM : May 23, 2007
LOL!
This is exactly what I'm talking about. Christians have never instigated war against this country, and have never attacked this country. We don't think it's okay to bomb our soldiers. These Moslems do. But no, the attack turns against Christians whose principals say that you don't kill under any circumstances (excluding when one country makes war on another)-but this also includes religion: we do not believe it's alright to kill for religion.
As for Iraq, we went there for a reason: national security. Pretending that Bush lied, we were as much in the dark as you were, and therefore we were still parading national security. Now, back to reality. Bush didn't lie, and it's our duty to stay there. We can't run away because then it would be a second Vietnam, and no one wants that. Remember the upheavel? The humiliation? The low prestige? We can't live through it this time.
-really could not resist this temptation... have a great night, you all (moron repubiblecons too).
Posted by grazinggoat at 01:26 AM : May 23, 2007
-grazingoat, seems to me you're feeling a little conviction.
You've resorted to insults as usual.
:)
Posted by singinrick
-SickRick you could make a perspicacious security agent in Walmart of JC Penney. Look into a suspected client and smile at him, and for sure with the help of Gees he'll confess to you his crime of shoplifting, eh! This is what you do in life?
Posted by shanev137 at 10:52 AM : May 23, 2007"
Excellent post - Instead of drumming up hatred towards Islam, why not examine why our 'christian' president and administration has murdered thousands of Iraqis with gleeful abandon...
see how fast they scream "I am American, get me out of here".
kills you if you don't join it...
http://islamqa.com/index.php?ref=82201&ln=eng&txt=islam%20law%20kill%20kaafir
kills you if you leave it...
http://islamqa.com/index.php?ref=696&ln=eng&txt=kaafir%20kill
kills you if you don't do what they tell you to do..
http://islamqa.com/index.php?ref=6035&ln=eng&txt=kaafir%20kill
kills you if you speak against it%u2026.
http://islamqa.com/index.php?QR=22809&ln=eng
kills anybody that is not a member of it...
http://www.hauns.com/~DCQu4E5g/koran5.html
still practices pagan rituals...
http://answering-islam.org/Silas/pagansources.htm
allows the r a p e of babies and animals...
http://www.homa.org/default.asp?TOCID=2083225445
a. satanic cult???
b. islam???
c. all the above???
Our Prophet commanded us to fight the kaafirs when we are able and to attack them in their homelands and to give them three choices before we enter their lands: either they become Muslim and be like us, sharing our rights and duties; or they pay the jizyah (poll tax) and feel themselves subdued; or they fight, in which case their wealth, women, children and homes become permissible as booty for the Muslims.
http://islamqa.com/index.php?ref=13759&ln=eng&txt=before%20islam%20arabia%20pagan
The issue here is that the poor Moslems are being "targeted", and so you pick on the group that's done absolutely nothing in this scenario: the Christians. You make fun of us; we ignore you. You attack us; we peacefully, and reasonably defend ourselves. If you draw a caricature of Jesus, nothing would be said. As it is, you rarely here of Christians being "outraged" over something the government does, or over something a private organization does. The same is not true of Moslems, but you ignore their wrong doings, and specifically target Christians. The Moslems blew up the WTC, but you lash out at Christians.
As I said, you people are evidence of the truth of our doctrine.
The issue here is that the poor Moslems are being "targeted", and so you pick on the group that's done absolutely nothing in this scenario: the Christians. You make fun of us; we ignore you. You attack us; we peacefully, and reasonably defend ourselves. If you draw a caricature of Jesus, nothing would be said. As it is, you rarely here of Christians being "outraged" over something the government does, or over something a private organization does. The same is not true of Moslems, but you ignore their wrong doings, and specifically target Christians. The Moslems blew up the WTC, but you lash out at Christians.
As I said, you people are evidence of the truth of our doctrine.
Christians and pagans are counted as evil thus are their enemies, Islam is constantly at war against its enemies... us...and it is to further the cause of Islam to make the whole world for Allah, it means that they can lie to us at any time.....they follow the leadership of Mohammad and he said to slaughter all who will not submit in all the world when the required time is right...and they are called.. Their numbers have not grown enough yet in the infidel countries,, not quite yet...As we see in the rest of the world, when their numbers have grown enough to become a force, they will become a force just as Mohammad did..
if it is ok for fascist nazi islamic muslims to kill all non muslims everywhere.... is it ok for the non muslims to kill all fascist nazi islamic muslims???
Wouldn't killing 5.1 BILLION people (the number of non muslims in the world) be the very definition of barbarism???
Or is it fascist nazi islam%u2019s way of solving global warming???
Switching Sides: Inside The Enemy Camp
But then in 2000, well before his arrest, something happened which would make Abas question everything he believed in: a fatwa, a religious edict, was issued by Osama bin Laden.
"It should be understood that killing Americans and Jews anywhere found are the highest act of worship and the highest form of good deeds in the eyes of Allah," Simon quotes bin Laden.
Abas and his fellow commanders were ordered to read the fatwa to their men and make sure they carried it out. The others obeyed, but Abas refused. It was his moment of truth. He firmly believed that jihad was to be fought only on the battlefield in defense of Islam; he had always been taught that the killing of civilians had nothing to do with holy war and that it was forbidden.
The fatwa justified killing non-Muslim civilians everywhere.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/05/04/60minutes/main2761108.shtml?source=RSSattr=60Minutes_2761108
Posted by singinrick
Sorry - wrong again. "American jihadists" ?
No, just normal Americans with our principles and our morals - not yours !
We recognize a phony and a fake when we see one. Like that Falwell fellow - same sick strain, like you.
We don't want your fear-mongering, racist bigotry, nor your twisted religious extremism, which is just as dangerous as radical islam.
Get it in your head - you represent marginalism, outside the mainstream progressive thinking -
that's why nobody takes you seriously and rightly treats you like the bearded lady at the freak show.
Sorry rick - change is difficult but if you want respect - get your head cleared.
I meet two men from Morocco. I will never forget them. One was my mentor/teacher testing a complex machine for the semiconductor industry. Many times he saved me from mistakes and from falling asleep when execs were walking by. His friend helped me in a course I was taking in world religions. Since I was raised as a Catholic, I had decided to write one of my papers on Islam because I wanted to know more about it. He helped me a lot and I quoted him on many ideas and issues. This was before 9/11.
I left this company before 9/11 and worried about the discrimination they might have to go though. What bonded me to them was our common heritage to the French language. I am French and American Indian and they could speak some French. But they became my friends. Their honesty and realness bought me... I couldn't ever believe they could ever do anything wrong. They are American citizens and wanted to be good citizens. I felt that. I trusted them. I hope they are doing OK now.
It pains me to think that anyone could harm them just because of their heritage. But after attacks by other countries on use, we historically have attacked American citizens during war such as the Japanese when their heritage is like the enemy. God make us wise.
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