Muslim World Reveals Fear of US

FT.com ^ | 6/2/2003 | James Politi

[ex-Texan]

Muslim World Reveals Fear of US

In the year that the US has fought terrorism, toppled a Middle Eastern dictatorship and launched a peace initiative between Israelis and Palestinians, its standing in the Muslim world has collapsed.

A survey published on Tuesday by the Pew Global Attitudes Project also suggests the Iraq war has widened the rift between Americans and western Europeans and softened international support for the war on terrorism.

"The bottom has fallen out of support for America in most of the Muslim world," reports the Washington-based organisation after an extensive survey last month of international public opinion.

As President George W. Bush sat down with Arab leaders on Tuesday, the polls in the Palestinian Authority and Jordan revealed only 1 per cent of the population holds favourable views of the US.

Negative perceptions of America pervade the rest of the Arab world, excluding Kuwait, and have, in the past year, spread to countries outside the Middle East with sizeable Muslim populations, such as Indonesia and Nigeria. However, the displeasure is mostly directed at Mr Bush and his policies rather than Americans in general, or American political values. In fact, a majority of Jordanians, Lebanese, Palestinians, Nigerians, Moroccans and Pakistanis believe that "western-style democracy" could work well in their countries.

The survey suggests many Muslims feel threatened by the US and are concerned that it may attack their country. In Pakistan, whose government supports Mr Bush's "war on terrorism", 73 per cent of the population are "very" or "somewhat" worried about a potential military threat from the US.

In contrast to Mr Bush, Osama bin Laden, the leader of the al-Qaeda terrorist network, won significant backing as the leader most capable of "doing the right thing regarding world affairs". In the Palestinian Authority, Mr bin Laden topped the poll with 71 per cent saying they had "a lot" or "some" confidence in him. Yassir Arafat, president of the PA, who has been marginalised by the US administration, came second with 69 per cent. In Jordan, Morocco and Pakistan Mr bin Laden was ranked second.

[ex-Texan]

Good !!!

The more they fear the U.S. the more they will obey their instincts for survival. The OBL and Yssir Arafat crapola is beginning to wear pretty thin.

[wimpycat]

The survey suggests many Muslims feel threatened by the US and are concerned that it may attack their country. In Pakistan, whose government supports Mr Bush's "war on terrorism", 73 per cent of the population are "very" or "somewhat" worried about a potential military threat from the US.

As they damn well should feel.

[Russell Scott]

The Pew people are a bunch of socialist-globalist-godless fools.

[tet68]

Ask me if I Care.
Hey, muslims, want to see the concern in my eye? (pulling down lower lid !)

Maybe the should do a survey of Americans and find out if trust in Muslims has gone down since 911.

[tsmith130]

Be afraid...be very, very afraid.

[Bringbackthedraft]

"A survey published on Tuesday by the Pew Global Attitudes Project" OK!, financed by who??

[rickmichaels]

...the polls in the Palestinian Authority and Jordan revealed only 1 per cent of the population holds favourable views of the US.

"Those grapes were sour anyway," said the fox.

[cavtrooper21]

The Muslim world has never "respected" us, so its fine by me if they fear us.

[Let's Roll]

Yeah, well they aren't afraid enough, are they?

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

For another side to this , check here:

Commentary: Hoping Americans stay forever

[doug from upland]

Oh, I guess the Euroweasels are going to go soft on terrorism, huh. As if they are not targets. As if Islamists don't want them dead. Dubya learned it a long time ago -- you negotiate from a position of strength. We have a commander in chief who gets it. I rembember when Reagan put missiles in Europe. What did the Soviet Union do? Hint: they didn't start WWIII. Great lessons are never learned by leftist fools. When you're born dumb, you stay that way a long time.

[joesnuffy]

Muslims are a warrior cult as such...

Conquest of people for the sake of "conversion" (converting your goods and your women & your children to themselves notwithstanding) is the path they are on...

Strength through superior firepower is all they understand..

If you want peace with them you must be able to severley kick their collective azzes
and be willing to do just that from time to time..

Once they get it through their thick skulls that they will die if they refuse to live in peace
and once a suffienct number of them have...

then you can get peace outta them..maybe

If they sense (smell) any vacillation or sense any opening or any weakness to exploit ..
they will...

They are very simple people to deal with..as long as you dont give them free access to your society or try to meld their culture into yours...and keep them at arms (double meaning) length..

Treat them with fairness and with firmness
imo

[Pontiac]

a majority of Jordanians, Lebanese, Palestinians, Nigerians, Moroccans and Pakistanis believe that "western-style democracy" could work well in their countries.

Just as soon as we kill all of the Mullahs, Hezbulha, and Fatah members

[Mr. Lucky]

For being in a warrior cult, they're sure not very good at it.

[Redcloak]

Boo!

[dennisw]

They should fear what we'll do to Mecca/Medina/holy sites if their Jihadist "bruddahs" stage a mega-terror attack on US soil.

[Pro-Bush]

[Radix]

Excellent!

We should now tear Yassir a new one, and his replacement will hopefully be qualified to lick the boots of any American. Arafat is a pig, and it is (IMHO)incredible that any American Administration has ever given that murderous bastard the time of the day!

It is time put to our American foot up the ass of any group that would try to inflict terror upon us in our own back yard. Some of these maniacs do it do it overtly, and others obliquely. The left will never understand that concept, and so they will continue to marginalize themselves into obscurity. It seems to me to be a fact that ordinary Americans do "get it."

I am not counting on that, because the media is very influential among the dumb ones. We might be not able to re-educate a few who can make a difference, however, we need to try.

Meanwhile, in Iraq and Afghanistan and other places where people have been under the heel of terrible despots and dictators we should try to show them just what the American way is. We may fail, but we could succeed. If we are successful then they will love us for it, and that is no BS.

[EvilOverlord]

Strength through superior firepower is all they understand..

Did you read the article about the Moros that was posted here a few weeks back? The muslims are not a simple people to deal with, and they don't respect superior firepower.

In the Phillipines, the US to muslim kill ratio was hundreds to 1, as it was in both gulf wars. Yet they kept coming again and again, using stupid tactics, until they were all dead. At least until the US decided they'd had enough of killing muslims and moved out.

They do not respect superior firepower. They only stop trying to kill you when you kill them.

They won't try to live in peace until we've completely crushed them and imposed a new culture.

I'm not trying to refute your points, just to intensify them.

[desertcry]

Nothing has change, the islamists (all of islam) have always hated the USA. Remember the reaction of moslems throughout the world after 9.11.03? Islam hates the USA because it is the symbol of Christian power. No other reason needs to be invoked to explain islam's hate for the USA.