World Public Opinion.org recently published a new study on the Public Opinion in the Islamic World on Terrorism, al Qaeda, and US Policies. The study build on different polls conducted in various Muslim countries in 2006, 2007 and 2008, including some in Jordan. The full study can be downloaded here. For a description of the methodology behind the study see this.
Jordan is not included in all of the themes covered by the study, but some interesting findings stands out:
- While a large majority of Jordanians rejects attacks on civilians in the US (68%) and US civilians working in Islamic countries (64%) 23% respective 26% approve or have mixed feelings about attacks on US civilians.
- 80% of Jordanians polled consider weakening and dividing the Islamic world is a US policy goal. 79% consider spreading Christianity in the Middle East as a US policy goal and 87% consider maintaining control over oil as a US policy goal. 84% consider expanding the borders of Israel as a US goal, while 28% consider the creation of a Palestinian state a US policy goal.
- 6% consider the US supporting democracy in Muslim countries regardless of the elected government cooperation with the US. 41% consider the US opposes democracy in Muslim countries. And 40% says US supports democracy only if the government is cooperative with the US.
- Regarding Bin Laden 20% of Jordanians polled have negative feelings towards him, while 27% have positive and an equal 27% have mixed feelings about him. 11% – the lowest among Arab countries – believes al Qaeda was behind the 9/11 attack while 17% thinks the US government and 31% Israel – the highest percentage – was the perpetrators behind 9/11.
- According to the poll 26% rejects Islamist party participation in elections because their ultimate goals are not consistent with democracy while only 50% finds that all people including Islamist groups should have the right to establish political parties and run for election.
- And finally – and interestingly – 60% of Jordanians are in favour of US military aid to Jordan and KSA – while 22% opposes such aid.
What continues to strike me as odd is the relative support of OBL in Jordan knowing that Jordan have been a very hard hit victim of al Qaeda in the past.
March 2, 2009 at 22:32
Everything is relative Thomas. Amman was hit once by Al-Queda and even that event is now fading from our consciousness. Meanwhile, the countries around us are subject to US and Israeli policies on a daily basis and everyday there seems to be something new that further engraving the idea of the “american and zionist enemy” into our psyches.
In other words, we are a country that had its 9/11…the brothers around us have one such event happening almost daily it seems.
thats how perceptions are formed.
and perceptions are what’s being polled at the end of the day