THEY NOTICED THE REFORMATION, EH?:

Muslims Believe US Seeks to Undermine Islam (World Public Opinion, 4/24/07)

There is strong support for enhancing the role of Islam in all of the countries polled, through such measures as the imposition of sharia (Islamic law). This does not mean that they want to isolate their societies from outside influences: Most view globalization positively and favor democracy and freedom of religion.

These findings are from surveys in Egypt, Morocco, Pakistan, and Indonesia conducted from December 2006 to February, 2007 by WorldPublicOpinion.org with support from the START Consortium at the University of Maryland.

Large majorities across all four countries believe the United States seeks to “weaken and divide the Islamic world.” On average 79 percent say they perceive this as a US goal, ranging from 73 percent in Indonesia and Pakistan to 92 percent in Egypt. Equally large numbers perceive that the United States is trying to maintain “control over the oil resources of the Middle East” (average 79%). Strong majorities (average 64%) even believe it is a US goal to “spread Christianity in the region.”

“While US leaders may frame the conflict as a war on terrorism, people in the Islamic world clearly perceive the US as being at war with Islam,” said Steven Kull, editor of WorldPublicOpinion.org.

Consistent with this concern, large majorities in all countries (average 74%) support the goal of getting the United States to “remove its bases and military forces from all Islamic countries,” ranging from 64 percent in Indonesia to 92 percent in Egypt.

Mr. Kull misses the point of "divide." It is not Islanm generally that we're at war with but the Wahabbist/Salafist variant and the easiest way to defet it is indeed to split it off from Shi'ism and more moderate versions of Sunni Islam. Meanwhile, globalization is nothing more than the imposition of Anglo-America's Judeo-Christian values on the rest of the world. Having Reformed the Catholic Church, Judaism, and the Confucian world, Islam is just next in line. It's nothing personal.

Posted by Orrin Judd at April 24, 2007 6:24 PM