Fengzi
05-24-2007, 08:32 PM
I'm not our there beating the war gong like P4B. I also live in an area with a large Muslim population and pretty much everyone I know seem to be good people. But when I read a story like this, I got to admit it disturbs me.
"Young U.S. Muslims More Open to Violence?
CBNNews.com
May 22, 2007
CBNNews.com - Do young American Muslims consider suicide bombings acceptable? A recent poll by the Pew Research Center identified some support, mainly among those under 30.
One in four younger U.S. Muslims say suicide bombings to defend their religion are acceptable in some circumstances, though most Muslim Americans overwhelmingly reject the tactic and are critical of Islamic extremism and al-Qaeda.
Two percent of those under 30 years old said it can often be justified, 13 percent said sometimes, and 11 percent said 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.
U.S. Muslims have growing Internet and TV access to extreme ideologies, Masmoudi said. "People, especially younger people, are susceptible to these ideas."
Masmoudi 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. Eighty percent of U.S. Muslims say suicide bombings of civilians to defend Islam cannot be justified.
The poll briefly described the rationales for and against "suicide bombing and other forms of violence against civilian targets." It then asked, "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."
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.
Homegrown Terrorism
Federal officials have warned that the U.S. must be on guard against homegrown terrorism, as the British suffered with the London transit bombings in 2005.
"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.
However, the survey mostly revealed a community that 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.
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.
Source: Associated Press "
"Young U.S. Muslims More Open to Violence?
CBNNews.com
May 22, 2007
CBNNews.com - Do young American Muslims consider suicide bombings acceptable? A recent poll by the Pew Research Center identified some support, mainly among those under 30.
One in four younger U.S. Muslims say suicide bombings to defend their religion are acceptable in some circumstances, though most Muslim Americans overwhelmingly reject the tactic and are critical of Islamic extremism and al-Qaeda.
Two percent of those under 30 years old said it can often be justified, 13 percent said sometimes, and 11 percent said 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.
U.S. Muslims have growing Internet and TV access to extreme ideologies, Masmoudi said. "People, especially younger people, are susceptible to these ideas."
Masmoudi 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. Eighty percent of U.S. Muslims say suicide bombings of civilians to defend Islam cannot be justified.
The poll briefly described the rationales for and against "suicide bombing and other forms of violence against civilian targets." It then asked, "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."
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.
Homegrown Terrorism
Federal officials have warned that the U.S. must be on guard against homegrown terrorism, as the British suffered with the London transit bombings in 2005.
"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.
However, the survey mostly revealed a community that 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.
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.
Source: Associated Press "