Muslim Extremism Not Popular Among Majority of Muslims

[stromboli]

http://www.pewglobal.org/2013/09/10/mus ... st-groups/

More than two years after the death of Osama bin Laden, concern about Islamic extremism remains widespread among Muslims from South Asia to the Middle East to sub-Saharan Africa. Across 11 Muslim publics surveyed by the Pew Research Center, a median of 67% say they are somewhat or very concerned about Islamic extremism. In five countries – Pakistan, Jordan, Tunisia, Turkey and Indonesia – Muslim worries about extremism have increased in the past year.

EXTREM18Against this backdrop, extremist groups, including al Qaeda, garner little popular support. Even before his death in 2011, confidence in al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden had plummeted among many Muslims. Today, al Qaeda is widely reviled, with a median of 57% across the 11 Muslims publics surveyed saying they have an unfavorable opinion of the terrorist organization that launched the twin attacks on New York City and Washington, DC more than a decade ago.

The Taliban, who once shared Afghanistan as a base of operation with al Qaeda, are viewed negatively by a median of 51% of Muslims in the countries polled. Hezbollah and Hamas fare little better. Hezbollah, in particular, has seen its support slip in key Middle Eastern countries, including a 38 percentage point drop in favorable views among Egyptian Muslims since 2007.

In many of the countries surveyed, clear majorities of Muslims oppose violence in the name of Islam. Indeed, about three-quarters or more in Pakistan (89%), Indonesia (81%), Nigeria (78%) and Tunisia (77%), say suicide bombings or other acts of violence that target civilians are never justified. And although substantial percentages in some countries do think suicide bombing is often or sometimes justified – including a 62%-majority of Palestinian Muslims, overall support for violence in the name of Islam has declined among Muslim publics during the past decade.

These are among the key findings from a survey of 11 Muslim publics conducted by the Pew Research Center from March 3 to April 7, 2013. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with 8,989 Muslims in Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Lebanon, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Palestinian territories, Senegal, Tunisia and Turkey. The survey also finds that Nigerian Muslims overwhelmingly oppose Boko Haram, the extremist movement at the center of a violent uprising in northern Nigeria. One of Boko Haram's stated aims is to establish sharia, or Islamic law, as the official law of the land. Nigerian Muslims are divided on whether their country's laws should closely follow the teachings of the Quran.

It should be obvious to even the casual observer that extreme behavior does not lead to positive gains. It is no less true of fundies, Tea Party types in the US that force their will on the rank and file citizens. Most people tend to be moderate, fair minded people. Radicalism in the end does not improve any situation, but makes it worse.

[zarus tathra]

On the one hand, this is fairly comforting. I really dislike Islamic radicals. Then again, on the other hand, I'm kind of scared that the world's governments have like zero checks on their ability to control currency and wage war. What is there to serve as a counterpoint?

[frosty]

Of course it is unpopular among them - they actually have to live with it. There are many different enabling factors as well as incubators for Islamic extremism I don't want to get into here right now but even though many Muslims everywhere are different, I think political activist groups are starting to see where terrorism really gets them, which is absolutely nowhere. It is more productive for your countrymen to engage in a process and be in dialogue with people rather than strap on a vest and blow things up. This is elementary logic, and many religious activist groups are starting to follow this path and are benefiting greatly from it.

I've also noticed that the people that hate Sharia law the most are the ones that have had to live through it and suffer because of it. It's easy like I saw once in a protest on TV for some girl in the U.S. with a sparkling hijab and a cool iPhone to say "omg we want sharia!!!" but it is quite different for her, or any other westernized Muslim to go and live through it. It still does irritate me somewhat though when I see them in western nations advocating Sharia but there is not much that can be done about that.

[Jason78]

[GurrenLagann]

Someone should tell this to Sam Harris.

[LikelyToBreak]

I think Sam Harris knows.  While it is true, most Muslims are not extremists nor do they outwardly support extremists, if 10% are extremists, that means there is about 100,000,000 extremists Muslims.  Or maybe only 5% are extremists, meaning then there are 50,000,000 extremists.  

I'm sorry, but those numbers still seem significant to me.  As they no doubt seem significant to Sam Harris, and others.

[aitm]

I don't know bout any of you but 57% don't exactly get me all buttery..

[Fidel_Castronaut]

I'd like to see their sample, specifically demographics.

'Islam' is not homogenous, and various sects have varying views.

EDIT: found a breakdown of the methodology at the bottom but couldn't read anything aside multi-stage cluster sample, indicating no question on sect of Islam.

[Shiranu]

But... I thought the average Muslim was smiling on the side line when their radical brothers committed crimes!

My whole life is a lie :.

:roll:

[frosty]

But... I thought the average Muslim was smiling on the side line when their radical brothers committed crimes!

My whole life is a lie :.

:roll:

While I have indeed seen so called "typical" Muslims that live a storybook western lifestyle, and then with the flip of a switch they deviously support acts of violence in the name of Islam, I do not think it's fair to say that all Muslims are like that. Images can be deceiving, and I noticed this weird flip-flop some Muslims do especially online where they act moderate and then all of a sudden endorse extremism. I am very skeptical of such things when they happen. And I have found a few times that people pretend to be Muslims and do that to scare people.

Of course the point about the sects is also valid. I guess what irritates me also about the whole Sharia issue is that we as a society have our own issues here, and for people to bring a foreign way of life into the west which diametrically opposes our core values is ludicrous. Yes, it may sound bigoted to say this (depending on how you perceive my statement), but if Muslims living in the west want true Sharia law, they are free to move to the various Sharia paradises that are currently festering on planet Earth.

[robandrob1]

The trouble is how do you define extremism, to some people Islamic extremism is wanting to blow you to smithereens and then dismember your corpse and put your head on a spike, personally I think it's extreme to want to imprison or hurt people for offending your religious sensibilities, or to want to punish people for being gay, if you ran a global Muslim survey on that the results would be a lot more disturbing.

[stromboli]

My hope is that Muslims can't miss the fact that radical behavior is ultimately self defeating. Throwing acid in the face of a pretty girl on the street does not condone a loving response. Living a life of self sacrifice is harder when the availability of a more hedonistic and pleasure centered one is near at hand.

[Colanth]

I'm with Shir.  This was a survey that asked Muslims some questions (never mind that pollsters can determine the outcome by the wording of the questions) - but I'm sure that it was non-Muslims asking the questions, so most Muslims would give the answers they wanted Christians to believe about Islam.

Let's see a survey about what percentage of Muslims in each Muslim society cheer when an announcement of violence against non-Muslims is announced.  That's a more honest response.

[baronvonrort]

I don't know bout any of you but 57% don't exactly get me all buttery..

 The numbers % wise who agree with the death penalty for apostasy are a bit of a concern, apostasy and blasphemy laws are what we should highlight, if you cannot leave it or criticise it how can you reform it.

[Cocoa Beware]

I wish they would show that they object to the actions of the extremists with more then just token gestures, that would certainly be very helpful in clearing up some misconceptions.

Unfortunately, in the mean time there will continue to be doubts.

There is also the matter of archaic laws that exist in a number of Muslim states; (and matters such as using the educational system to teach children to hate Jews, non-Muslims)

It would seem that in these places the moderates, despite no doubt being the majority, do not seem to be the ones in power.