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Support for al-Qaeda plunges in Jordan
Almost two thirds of Jordanians have changed their views of al Qaeda for the worse following suicide bombings against Amman hotels that killed more than 50 people last week, a poll said on Wednesday.The poll of 1,014 people published by independent Al Ghad newspaper also said 87.1 percent of respondents considered al Qaeda a "terrorist organisation" and that 86.4 percent said the group's attacks did not represent Islam. The poll by survey firm Ipsos did not provide a comparative figure, but in the past surveys had showed that al Qaeda enjoyed high approval ratings in Jordan. Iraqi suicide bombers belonging to al Qaeda in Iraq -- led by Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi -- killed themselves and 54 other people in three near-simultaneous attacks in Amman luxury hotels on Nov. 9 in one of Jordan's worst attacks. The majority of the dead were Jordanians at wedding parties. The attacks have sparked outrage in Jordan, which had previously been spared al Qaeda-linked attacks that have hit other countries. Asked if last week's attacks had changed their view of al Qaeda, 64 percent of respondents said it had changed for the worse while 2.1 percent said it had changed for the better. 31.9 percent said they had not changed their views. Jordan's King Abdullah on Tuesday night dismissed 11 of his advisers, including the national security adviser, in a reshuffle officials said had been expected for several months but that were hastened by the suicide blasts. The government has announced plans to draft new anti-terrorism laws in a country where the Western-trained security forces already enjoy wide powers. The margin of error of the poll, conducted by phone Nov. 13 and Nov. 14, was 3.2 percent, it said. Posted by: Dan Darling 2005-11-16 |
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