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| International-UN-NGOs |
| Survey on opinions towards WoT |
| 2004-09-13 |
| Survey conducted by the Washington-based Pew Research Center Eighty six percent Pakistanis support President Pervez Musharraf's policies, according to an independent US global survey, which found a majority in Muslim countries to justify suicide attacks on the US and Western assets. Views on Musharraf are more positive than negative in Turkey, and are about evenly divided in Britain, the US, Russia, and Jordan. Negative opinion of Musharraf is strongest in France, Germany, and Morocco. In the predominantly Muslim countries surveyed, anger toward the US remains pervasive, although the level of hatred has eased somewhat and support for the war on terrorism has inched up. Osama Bin Laden, however, is viewed favourably by large percentages in Pakistan (65%), Jordan (55%) and Morocco (45%). Even in Turkey, where Bin Laden is highly unpopular, as many as 31% say that suicide attacks against Americans and other Westerners in Iraq are justifiable. Majorities in all four Muslim nations surveyed doubt the sincerity of the war on terrorism. Instead, most say it is an effort to control Middle East oil and to dominate the world. UN Secretary General Kofi Annan is well regarded in most of the nations surveyed, with majorities expressing a favourable opinion of Annan in France (79%), Germany (74%), Great Britain (65%), and Russia (53%). Opinion is more positive than negative in the US (42% favourable to 23% unfavourable), Turkey (43% to 36%), and Pakistan (29% to 21%), though many have no opinion about the UN leader in these nations. But these favourable reviews are not universal. Majorities rate the UN leader unfavourably in both Jordan (54%) and Morocco (78%). About half of Pakistanis also say suicide attacks on Americans in Iraq — and against Israelis in the Palestinian conflict — are justifiable. The survey finds, however, that Christians get much lower ratings in predominantly Muslim countries than do Muslims in mostly Christian countries. Majorities in Morocco (73%), Pakistan (62%) and Turkey (52%) express negative views of Christians. |
| Posted by:Paul Moloney |