Some US Muslims justify suicide attacks

[Snowden]

Some US Muslims justify suicide attacks

By ALAN FRAM, Associated Press Writer



One in four younger U.S. Muslims say suicide bombings to defend their religion are acceptable at least in some circumstances, though most Muslim Americans overwhelmingly reject the tactic and are critical of Islamic extremism and al-Qaida, a poll says.

The survey by the Pew Research Center, one of the most exhaustive ever of the country'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 can not 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 in Dearborn, Mich., one of the nation's largest mosques. He said killing innocent people contradicts Islam.

Andrew Kohut, Pew director, said in an interview that support for the attacks represented "one of the few trouble spots" in the survey.
At a later news conference, he said much of that support could be attributed to age because the findings were consistent with numerous other surveys showing young people more inclined to violence and to support wars.

The poll briefly describes the rationales for and against "suicide bombing and other forms of violence against civilian targets" and then asks, "Do you personally feel that this kind of violence is often justified to defend Islam, sometimes justified, rarely justified, or never justified?"

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."

In other findings:

_Only 5 percent of U.S. Muslims expressed favorable views of the terrorist group al-Qaida, though about a fourth did not express an opinion.


_Six in 10 said they are concerned about a rise in Islamic extremism in the U.S., while three in four expressed similar worries about extremism around the world.
_Yet only one in four consider the U.S. war on terrorism a sincere attempt to curtail international terror. Only 40 percent said they believe Arab men carried out the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

_By six to one, they say the U.S. was wrong to invade Iraq, while a third say the same about Afghanistan — far deeper than the opposition expressed by the general U.S. public.

_Just over half said it has been harder being a U.S. Muslim since the 9/11 attacks, especially the better educated, higher income, more religious and young. Nearly a third of those who flew in the past year say they underwent extra screening because they are Muslim.

The survey estimates there are roughly 2.35 million Muslim Americans. It found that among adults, two-thirds are from abroad while a fifth are U.S.-born blacks.

By law, the Census Bureau does not ask about people's religions.
Telephone interviews were conducted with 1,050 Muslim adults from January through April, including some in Arabic, Urdu and Farsi. Subjects were chosen at random, from a separate list of households including some with Muslim-sounding names, and from Muslim households that had participated in previous surveys.

The margin of sampling error was plus or minus 5 percentage points.
___

On the Net: Pew Research Center

Print Story: Some US Muslims say suicide attacks OK on Yahoo! News

[BrianK]

The percentages shown mean little if you are not the one on the receiving end of the attack.

I don't know how many members there are for Pads. But for arguements sake lets say there are 300 members. Using the percentages in the article lets see how many here could be gone.

Two percent of them say it can often be justified.

2% X 300 = 6 people here that would be gone.

13 percent say sometimes

13% X 300 = 39


11 percent say rarely

11% X 300 = 33

Since we aren't deciding who falls into the often, sometimes, or rarely catagories the Muslims are. It is conceivable that at any given time all three catagories could be what is decided.

That totals 78 in all or 222 left for another round of decision making by the religion devoted to peace.

[leobold1]

According to the US Census Bureau http://www.census.gov/compendia/stat...es/07s0073.xls the number of Muslim/Islam is 1,104,000 in 2001.

This is a low number, as you don't have to answer what is your religion, as well as the US population is increasing, and along with it, those of the Muslim faith.

Therfore:

Two percent of them say it can often be justified

22080

13 percent say sometimes

143520

11 percent say rarely

121440

So, basically, at least 20,000 American Muslims think its a good thing to blow yourself up, all to "defend Islam."

Does this scare anyone else?

[Snowden]

Originally Posted by leobold1

According to the US Census Bureau http://www.census.gov/compendia/stat...es/07s0073.xls the number of Muslim/Islam is 1,104,000 in 2001.

This is a low number, as you don't have to answer what is your religion, as well as the US population is increasing, and along with it, those of the Muslim faith.

Therfore:

Two percent of them say it can often be justified[\quote]

22080



143520



121440

So, basically, at least 20,000 American Muslims think its a good thing to blow yourself up, all to "defend Islam."

Does this scare anyone else?

It scares the hell out of me, Jeff. That's two of us. Brainwashing goes on in the jails now, as we know. With numbers like this and knowing recruiting of these and other youths is going on, we really need to get our government -- Congress, mostly -- to get busy. We need -- oh, you all know so much better than I do as to what we need and what we need to have done right now.

All I can do is give the information as to Islam's intentions. The news media should, and sometimes does, give us the information as to what is going on elsewhere in the world.

Islam is on the move, perceiving us to be weak and an easy pushover, to be taken with little or no Resistance.

[KBay84]

It only takes ONE farq head to blow up something....20,000 is way too many...we can always open up the California Manzanar Japanese internment camp left over from WWII...

[conlor]

Originally Posted by KBay84

It only takes ONE farq head to blow up something....20,000 is way too many...we can always open up the California Manzanar Japanese internment camp left over from WWII...

I like that idea. To hell with being 'nice'. There are times when we need to get tough.

[Snowden]

True; in that camp, they could just blow up each other. Just to keep in practice, of course.

Seriously, how can we round this lot up, and can we keep them from recruiting others? Why on earth does this appeal to these you