Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON: Westerners view Muslims as fanatical, violent and intolerant while Muslims in the Middle East and Asia generally view Westerners as immoral, selfish and greedy, according to a new poll released Thursday. After a year marked by riots over cartoon portrayals of Mohammed, a major terrorist attack in London, and continuing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, most Muslims and Westerners are convinced that relations between them are generally bad these days, a report on the poll by the Pew Global Attitudes Project said. In one of the survey s most striking findings, majorities in Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan and Turkey said they do not believe that Arabs carried out the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States. The percentage of Turks who hold that view has increased from 43 percent in 2002 to 59 percent currently, according to the Pew survey, which also found that 56 percent of British Muslims share that belief. The poll found that Germans and Spaniards have much more negative views of both Muslims and Arabs than do the French, British or Americans. Even in the wake of the tumultuous events of the past year, solid majorities in France, Britain and the U.S. retain overall favorable opinions of Muslims, Pew said. Roughly eight in 10 Spanish and Germans associate Muslims with being fanatical, it added. The report said that nothing highlights the divide between Muslims and the West more than their response last winter to the uproar over cartoon depictions of the prophet Mohammed that were published in a Danish newspaper. Muslims blame the controversy on Western nations disrespect for their religion while Americans and Western Europeans say Muslim intolerance is more to blame, the Pew report said. Other notable findings of the survey entitled The Great Divide are: Substantial declines in Jordan, Pakistan and Indonesia in the number of people who say terrorism is justified in the defense of Islam. Support for Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden has declined in the Muslim world in recent years, especially in Jordan where 24 percent currently express some confidence in him compared to 60 percent a year ago. While large percentages in nearly every Muslim country attribute several negative traits to Westerners, solid majorities in Indonesia, Jordan and Nigeria express favorable opinions of Christians. Moreover, there is enduring belief in democracy among Muslim publics, which contrasts sharply with the skepticism many Westerners express about whether democracy can take root in the Muslim world, the report said. It added that there were also sharp divergences in the manner both sides view women with each blaming the other of lacking respect. The Pew global Attitudes Project was conducted in 15 countries between March 31 and May 14 and involved some 14,000 respondents. Apart from the United States, the other countries involved were: Britain, China, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Jordan, Nigeria, Pakistan, Russia, Spain, and Turkey. AFP
Poll finds considerable divide between Westerners and Muslims
