: Poll Reveals Deep Malaise, Fear In Muslim World

If one of the goals of the US war on Iraq was to put the fear of Bush in the hearts of the Muslim world, then a new survey by the Pew Global Attitudes Project reveals that it has been an unqualified success. “Something that I never thought I’d see and something that is of great concern to me,” said survey chair and former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, “is that people now fear American power.” Majorities in nearly all the predominantly Muslim countries covered in the survey believe that they are next on the list of targets of US military power. Unfavorable ratings go as high as 83% in Indonesia. “Dislike of the United States has really deepened and spread throughout the Muslim world,” said Andrew Kohut, director of the Pew Research Center that oversaw polling. The trends show that opinion of the US dropped sharply as war in Iraq became a reality. The survey had some other interesting findings, such as the fact that British Prime Minister Tony Blair has a higher approval rating in the US than President George Bush (who also slipped in the polls nearly everywhere else in the world). But what really takes the cake is the revelation that many Muslims – a majority in some Muslim countries – have confidence in Osama bin Laden to “do the right thing in world affairs.” You might be asking yourself what kind of hashish these people are smoking, but it’s good to remember that polls are complex things. The same poll, after all, shows that Muslims are enthusiastic about Western democratic ideals, freedoms, and globalization, more so than some former Communist countries. Support for bin Laden also doesn’t necessarily translate into support for terror, since many supporters don’t believe that he had anything to do with 9/11. Muslims in the poll also shared a belief with the US that it was “necessary to believe in God to be moral.” Some latched onto these points as a positive starting point. “We’re going to get there,” said Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN) regarding rebuilding relationships with the Muslim world, “but we’re doing it incrementally.”

Shahed Amanullah is editor-in-chief of altmuslim.com.