Some US Muslims Say Suicide Attacks OK

Most U.S. Muslims Reject Suicide Bombings

I really hope this is a surprise to nobody.

Yeah, both ends of the conclusion spectrum are correct -- most Muslims reject this stuff, but a disturbingly large number of others have opinions I am concerned about -- 25% seem to think it's OK to terrorize people with death, and 60% believe it was somebody else than the actual (Arab) hijackers who actually carried out the attacks.

Part of the problem is that many people in the US believe that we are in fact at war with Islam, and I know some of these people, they really believe this. They equate Muslims = terrorists, and I hold the Bush Administration at fault for not doing something to discourage this thinking. See my posts under the article on Osama's own words regarding the problem of conflating these two issues.

Part of the problem is in our actions abroad -- who we support and who and how we disagree. One of my Muslim friends, a native-born American and one who disagrees with al Qaeda strongly, says, "when we disagree with Israel we issue statements to the newspapers and go to the UN, but when we disagree with a Muslim country they get only the fist. Why does that have to be that way?"

One in four younger U.S. Muslims say suicide bombings to defend their religion are acceptable at least in some circumstances

What if you were to replace the word "religion" with "country"?

And what if you were defending your country from uninvited occupiers who have killed hundreds of thousands of your countrymen and, on numerous accounts, raped your mothers and sisters?

And what if the country under all this turmoil was the U.S.? How far would you go to protect it? Think about what you would do if America (or your home country) were to be invaded by the most powerful military on Earth. What would you do? Now...are you surprised that others are doing the same?

I am in no way advocating suicide bombings. And I'm not trying to bash the troops. I just wanted to turn this issue on its head, because it seems that many people have a hard time imagining Muslims (or is it all brown people in general?) defending themselves from what they perceive to be an attack. Is their religion under attack? I don't think so. Is their country under attack? There's a good chance that it is or has been bombed in the past. Why do we still feign surprise when suicide attacks happen? Yes, we can agree that they're horrendous and insane tactics, but are they really that unbelievable?

From that same article

Overall, Muslim Americans have a generally positive view of the larger society. Most say their communities are excellent or good places to live. A large majority of Muslim Americans believe that hard work pays off in this society. Fully 71% agree that most people who want to get ahead in the United States can make it if they are willing to work hard. The survey shows that although many Muslims are relative newcomers to the U.S., they are highly assimilated into American society. On balance, they believe that Muslims coming to the U.S. should try and adopt American customs, rather than trying to remain distinct from the larger society. And by nearly two-to-one (63%-32%) Muslim Americans do not see a conflict between being a devout Muslim and living in a modern society.

I guess its easy just to put up the negative and ignore the positive

It may be a bit 'different', but I'd like to respond to the article with a short flash story I wrote a few years ago when the Iraq war was just beginning.

Just as a reminder....

Participation

"Why are you here?"

The boy was barely thirteen, yet his face was dark and aged. "They killed my entire family in the first week. I ask for what is due."

The leader studied the boy carefully for signs of weakness and found none. "Do you understand what you ask? From this action, there is no return."

"I understand." The boy's face was stone, his eyes full of fire.

The leader stroked his beard and considered. "Return tomorrow an hour past dawn. Cut your hair and wash yourself first. Dress plainly - and speak to no one."

The boy nodded and quickly left the room.

****

When he arrived at the house in the early morning, the boy now looked fresh and young. The eyes, however, were still disturbing.

The leader of the group nodded in approval. "Much better. You will have your chance. Go with Mustafa into the other room. He will instruct and prepare you."

The boy bowed his head and obeyed.

Two hours later, a quiet boy rose from his prayers and walked toward a security checkpoint. Before the soldiers could react, he suddenly ran toward them, pulling the trigger of the powerful bomb he wore under his clothes.

The End

That headline angered me so much that I felt I had to shoot the AP an email (grrrr):

The Associated Press has shown itself to be a purveyor of not only misleading but also dangerous information. I refer to Alan Fram's article whose headline screams:

Some U.S. Muslims Say Suicide Attacks OK

Reading the article, one discovers that "[w]hile nearly 80 percent of U.S. Muslims say suicide bombings of civilians to defend Islam can not be justified, 13 percent say they can be, at least rarely."

Furthermore, the statement that "most supporters of the attacks likely assumed the context was a fight against occupation - a term Muslims often use to describe the conflict with Israel" also misleads.
I call the "conflict with Israel" an "occupation" and I'm not Islamic.

Unfortunately, too many Americans read headlines only -- a fact of which the AP is no doubt aware. Your abject reporting is unworthy of the term "journalism". However, as a tool of pure, unadulterated propaganda, your effort certainly deserves kudos. Bravo!