I find it ironic that the nations covered by the poll were all created by British colonialism. One of the most important findings is that the Arab street does not identify a "clash of civilizations"; they identify their woes as direct consequences of British colonialism and US foreign policy.
Of course, in those particular countries, what "British colonialism and US foreign policy" refers to is the existence of Israel. They have all been brainwashed to think that the death of Israel would be great for them.
In the poll the qualifications most associated with the US and the UK were "racist", "aggressive", "morally decadent" and "imperialistic". It so happens that many, probably most, Americans associate the countries in question with some negative words also - but that would be considered as evidence of bias on our part. So maybe we should consider that they can be biased too.
People were always very careful to note that they admired Western societies for their open atmosphere, individual liberties and technical progress, but they certainly don't envy the West's social problems. That's nice. Maybe someday their countries can have the same things. I hope so.
**People in the Middle East are proud of their family and traditions.
Yes I know they value their families so much they often murder their daughters and sisters if they have sex, consensual or nonconsual. Not a family value I envy.
And crucially, less than 20% of Egyptians, Syrians and Palestinians see the US as supporting democracy in the region. Who do they see as supporting democracy in the region? I don't see ANYONE else doing anything in this regard.
American and British policy in Iraq and US bias in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are almost universally rejected. Distrust of America is even higher among Middle Eastern youth. Only 15% to 20% of young people between the ages of 16 and 24 have anything good to say about the US. The majority supports Sharia law as a source for legislation. But only a tiny minority said they wanted a Taliban-like interpretation of Islamic law. They sound confused.
How is "terrorism" defined in the Middle East? For over 85% of the population in four of the five countries polled (64% in Lebanon), the US war on Iraq was an act of terrorism. Ninety percent in all countries polled say that Israel's killing of Palestinian civilians is terrorism. Hamas and Hezbollah are not terrorist groups: they are regarded as legitimate resistance organizations. For a majority of Jordanians and Palestinians, even al-Qaeda's fight is legitimate. And to top it all, the US is also seen as a major violator of human rights. **The majority of people polled had just a simple wish: if only the Americans would leave us alone**...
Note that al-Qaeda's fight began long before the Iraq war, long before the Bush administration. I remember very well the pictures of people from the region celebrating after 911. Frankly hearing of their hatred for does not make me think we should "leave them alone." |
