muslim balance
One of our commentators sent me a link to this article this morning by Daniel Pipes which reports how muslim populations are “divided by conspiracy and hate”. I thought that some of the reported results were interesting, and at times shocking, so I thought I would go to the original report of the study. And there are certainly some differences in “spin”, even actual numbers.
Pipes says:
In not one Muslim population polled did most people believe Arabs carried out the September 11, 2001, attacks on the US. The proportions range from a mere 15 per cent in Pakistan holding Arabs responsible to 48per cent among French Muslims. Confirming recent negative trends in Turkey, the number of Turks who point the finger at Arabs has declined from 46 per cent in 2002 to 16per cent today. In other words, in each of these 10 Muslim communities, most view 9/11 as a hoax perpetrated by the US Government, Israel or some other agency. [emphasis mine]
Okay, you might have thought those numbers were actually lifted from the report. I can’t find the raw numbers online, but this is certainly not the way that the researchers elected to describe the results of their surveys (as shocking as they might be):
In one of the survey’s most striking findings, majorities in Indonesia, Turkey, Egypt, and Jordan say that they do not believe groups of Arabs carried out the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The percentage of Turks expressing disbelief that Arabs carried out the 9/11 attacks has increased from 43% in a 2002 Gallup survey to 59% currently. And this attitude is not limited to Muslims in predominantly Muslim countries - 56% of British Muslims say they do not believe Arabs carried out the terror attacks against the U.S., compared with just 17% who do.
The graphs do show that 16% of those surveyed in Turkey believe that Arabs carried out the attacks, but I can find no support for Pipes conclusion (in bold) in the numbers. Significantly, this question was not asked of non-Muslims so we don’t know what the “control” viewpoint is. But some of Pipes’ other analyses are more misleading:
Of all the Muslim populations polled, most displayed support for Osama bin Laden. Asked whether they had confidence in him, Muslims replied positively, ranging from 8 per cent (Turkey) to 72 per cent (Nigeria).
Suicide bombing is also popular. Muslims who call it justified range from 13 per cent (Germany) to 69 per cent (Nigeria). These appalling numbers suggest terrorism by Muslims has deep roots and will remain a danger for years to come.
The report uses different numbers and puts a decidedly different spin on these results:
Confidence in Osama bin Laden also has fallen in most Muslim countries in recent years. This is especially the case in Jordan, where just 24% express at least some confidence in bin Laden now, compared with 60% a year ago. A sizable number of Pakistanis (38%) continue to say they have at least some confidence in the al Qaeda leader to do the right thing regarding world affairs, but significantly fewer do so now than in May 2005 (51%). However, Nigeria’s Muslims represent a conspicuous exception to this trend; 61% of Nigeria’s Muslims say they have at least some confidence in bin Laden, up from 44% in 2003.
The belief that terrorism is justifiable in the defense of Islam, while less extensive than in previous surveys, still has a sizable number of adherents. Among Nigeria’s Muslim population, for instance, nearly half (46%) feel that suicide bombings can be justified often or sometimes in the defense of Islam. Even among Europe’s Muslim minorities, roughly one-in-seven in France, Spain, and Great Britain feel that suicide bombings against civilian targets can at least sometimes be justified to defend Islam against its enemies.
I can’t find an explanation for the different in numbers. Pipes says 72% of Nigerian Muslims support Osama, whereas the report says 61%. Pipes says 69% of Nigerians say suicide bombings are justified, the report summary says 46% believe that bombings can be justified often or sometimes. I suspect that Pipes has added on to these figures another category of respondents - those who say that suicide bombing is justified rarely or only in exceptional circumstances. And he has avoided any mention of the fact that these figures are dropping, despite the fact that he felt it significant to list the increasing support for Bin Laden over time.
There is no denying that surveys such as this include some concerning results. But Pipes’ article has distorted the figures and used them to draw his own conclusions. The reporter of the survey indicated positives as well as negatives signs in the data, and certainly didn’t consider that the three main themes of the results in the alarming way that they have been summarised by Pipes. He says “the Pew survey sends an undeniable message of crisis from one end of the Muslim world to the other”. Which might be true, if he were prepared to acknowledge a little bit of balance in his report instead of turning it into a polemic.
What is frustrating about this is that Pew does substantial research, takes the time to analyse their data carefully and then it is transmitted to the national consciousness by someone who picks out the most alarming results while ignoring those that are reassuring. If we are talking about analysing why Muslim people feel isolated, perhaps this sort of reportage could be part of the reason?
November 3rd, 2006 at 10:59 am
Greg,
I think that often we make Christianity the door, rather than acknowledging (in PRACTICE!) that it is Christ. In theory I think it *may* be possible to remain in one religion while embracing Christ (maybe Ghandi did this?), but I also think that may be quite difficult, and I don’t personally know anyone who does it. Obviously you’d have to reject certain parts of other faiths as well - I can’t think of a single faith that doesn’t have doctrines that are clearly in contradiction to Christian doctrine. Mind you, there’s plenty in Christian churches that I think is contrary to Christian gospel too!
November 3rd, 2006 at 11:20 am
Perhaps we are confusing Christianity with salvation and our ultimate destiny in eternity. Sometimes when we hear the word “Christian” we think “salvation” and “eternity with God”.
Can someone be a Muslim and be “saved” or spend “eternity with God”? They may not be a “Christian”, but in this case would be “saved” (”saved” in this instance meaning spending eternity with God in heaven. However, salvation in its fullest sense is more than just where we spend eternity, but that’s another subject…..)
In such a case, Jesus is still the door, they still have to go through Him, and they may use this door even though they are not consciously aware of it.
November 3rd, 2006 at 11:30 am
wayne - i guess it depends on how you’re using the term ‘christian’ - are you using it in a sociological sense to describe the religion they belong to, or a more ’spiritual’ sense? i was using it in the sociological/institutional sense in my post above - ‘christian’ actually means ‘christ-like’, so i guess it’s entirely possible (at least in theory) to be a christian and a ‘muslim’ at the same time (though i would wonder how it can be done from a doctrinal point of view)
November 3rd, 2006 at 11:32 am
Greg,
1) I only read the first chapter of Hirsch’s book (advance copy before it was published ) so can’t comment on what he is referring to. Any chance you can summarize his thesis?
2) Having said that I don’t know of anything in Islam that is compatible with belief in Christ - and I say that as one who has also been taught by ex-missionaries who worked with Muslims overseas many years + coming from a former church where we supported a Muslim convert now working overseas as a missionary with his former Muslim community + whatever I have read on the subject
If Alan is talking about Muslim converts keeping certain customs (eg regular prayer, prayer postures, etc etc) that is of no import. And yes there are the usual issues if say you happen to be married to more than one woman…missionaries will usually ask people to stay as they are, not send wives away etc. But if you say you have encountered Christ and yet are going to mosque, reciting the Koran, practicing sharia (which covers everything from foreign relations to how to wipe your bum), still identifying as a Muslim who follows the (false) prophet Mohammed then really - save for being in fear of your life (and it does happen) -I would definitely be asking a lot of questions!
3) Again am not sure about what you mean about limiting the incarnational God. Can you expand a bit?
I can have guess, and here, forgive my somewhat imprecise and crudely stated statements (theologians can correct me) I would be assessing it against the following
a. I know of no other religion which understands God as Trinity (which is the acid test for a Christian…and separates us too from Jews, and everyone else) And we know Him as Trinity because He has revealed Himself as Trinity. If you don’t know God as Trinity you don’t know Him.
b. Jesus and Jesus alone is God Incarnate (prefigured in OT but not fully revealed). Jesus alone is the only mediator between God the Father and us, the only way to the Father, the one of whom the prophets spoke etc and through whom God has revealed Himself most fully and completely (again not fully revealed in OT but in actual fact I would say it is correct to state that Jesus saved the OT saints).
c. Jesus alone affected our salvation through His suffering, death and resurrection
d The resurrected Jesus is now “bodily” in heaven with the Father, and present to us by His Spirit (…His Church even!…)
e. The Spirit always leads us to the Father through Christ
f. The Jewish/Christian understanding of God is not that he is just numerically one i.e. only one god…in fact the Bible does refer to other gods…(just to really mess it up a bit for you *grin*) but that He is unique. “There is none like him”.
November 3rd, 2006 at 11:38 am
I’m not that sure that an understanding of the trinity is necessarliy all that important in terms of following Jesus - it is certainly far to complex for anyone to confidently say that assent to uit in anything other than pure faith - logically it don;t fit!
Anyway I’m off for a dirty weekend in Orange so I’ll get back to responding on Monday.
Saint - where’s the agression and insults gone? This thread has become positively positive in it’s respoect for each other - stop it now and start hurling abuse…it’;s all I am comfortable with
November 3rd, 2006 at 12:01 pm
wot saint said.
November 7th, 2006 at 10:26 am
Changing the topic slightly - I think that this is an important piece - my conversations with Waleed about the Hilali row certainly helped me understand what was going on a lot more:
http://www.theage.com.au/news/opinion/the-hilali-row-has-fuelled-a-siege-mentality/2006/11/06/1162661612071.html