OT: How Muslims and Americans think differently

I ran across a poll recently which said a large majority or Iranians were "deeply concerned about terrorism". Weird.

Firstly, where is your source?

Secondly, that statement is not backed up by facts. Just look at the carnage fundamentalist Muslims have left behind in the name of Allah.

Thirdly, respect for human life is not one of the strong points of Islam anyway. The ends always outweigh the means. Nick Berg is one recent example that comes to mind.

If you can say that, I can say this: All Christians are just like Jerry Falwell.

All Muslims are the same. You know this because you are personally acquainted with so many of them.

Exception: Muhammed Ali

I saw other references to that poll. There's probably a disconnect there in terms of who Muslims think is "innocent," with that concept for some of them being somewhat different than we're accustomed to. It could well be that some of them think any non-Muslim not living as a "dhimmi" (not sure I got that right) isn't innocent. However, I'm pretty well acquainted with some Muslims and none of the ones I know think that way. Our ham-handed foreign policy is pushing more of them away, of course, and radicalizing more but that's a problem for the next President to solve.

However, Muslim perceptions aside, I'm apalled - but not particularly surprised - with the American reponse to the question. In fact, the poll probably didn't properly count the attitude of Americans who think that anyone who happens to live in the Middle East or happens to be Muslim is already guilty and thus the question is practically irrelevant in the G-SAVE.

Look at Hachi's recent remarks. Essentially it was: we got hit, so we had to invade *someplace* and it didn't matter too much where as long as we can feel studly about it.

I am. No, they are not alike. Some are worse.

Maybe. Sort of like Catholic missionaries who tell native people that their existing religions are inferior. Or, fundamentalist Kristians who helped spread AIDS in Africa by stopping our government from distributing condoms because they said it "condone immoral behavior".

Hate comes in many forms.

I had it two days ago but can't find it any more. I thought it was linked at the

blog, but I can't find anything there. The poll was commissioned or done by an organization that has lots of international polls done.

The poll measured only their responses, not their degrees of hypocrisy. Do you know of any poll that does measure the latter? I'm not asking to be defensive; I'd like to know if any pollsters try to correct for hypocrisy.

Violence tends to be highest where the people are the most religious, but for a few years around 1999, the West Bank Palestinian area had one of the lowest rates of violence in the world. And a friend of my grandfather saw his own father get lynched when he was 14 The murderers weren't Muslims but American Christians.

Do you know the name of the poll or have any links? Because I can no longer find where I saw that poll.

Here's something:

More:

There is NO SUCH THING....

Read any of the poll questions to prove I'm right....

If someone reads something a month ago in the newspaper, is it invalid if he can't provide a web link to the story? Consider your answer very carefully.

At least it didn't have to cross very far.

You believe that anything learned before the world wide web existed is lost knowledge, and totally invalid.

?

No direct link to the poll itself but this is an interesting story on it:

...and you don't call the 54% of Americans savages for saying it is OK to kill women and kids and ordinary blokes just living their lives?

If that is how Amercians really think then I am so glad I don't live there, and I can understand why Muslims hate the USA so much

David - who thought is was > Is it always wrong to kill innocent civilians?

That's the one. Thanks!