LONDON TIMES

July 26, 2007

Muslims are weary of bin Laden but still fear American attack

Muslims increasingly reject Osama bin Laden and oppose suicide bombings but also regard the United States as a growing threat to their own security, according to a new international opinion poll.

The findings suggest that the Islamic world wants to turn its back on both sides in the War on Terror, and do not indicate that America is winning hearts and minds in the Middle East or beyond.

Instead, the Pew Institute’s Global Attitudes survey shows increasing Muslim hostility towards violent extremism, particularly in countries that have witnessed its bloody consequences first hand. These include Lebanon, where the proportion of those who say suicide bombing is often or sometimes justified has fallen from 74 per cent in 2002 to 34 per cent.

There have also been sharp falls in support for such terrorism in Bangladesh, Pakistan, Jordan and Indonesia, all of which have suffered suicide bomb attacks in recent years.

In the past five years there has been a similar marked reduction in support for bin Laden, the leader of al-Qaeda. In Jordan, this has shrunk from 56 per cent to 20 per cent, in Indonesia from 59 per cent to 41 per cent, in Lebanon from 20 per cent to just 1 per cent while even in Pakistan – where he is thought to be hiding – the proportion backing him has dropped from 46 per cent to 38 per cent.

[b]The exception in this survey were the Palestinian Territories where 70 per cent of people say suicide bombing can often or usually be justified — and only 6 per cent say “neverâ€