moiz_dodds_lover

03/04/2002 12:23:36 PM

i don't think it is faie to blame all muslims for sep.11. there is no way they couls have all played a part in that. (and i am christian so don't think i am just taking up for myself.)i like a muslim boy. i don't blame the whole muslim population for what happened and those who do are -pardon the pun- retarded. i don't think it is fair for muslims to suggest or be "afraid" of all of the u.s. because all of us are not-pardon the pun again-retarded.(although i know a few people who are)!

tawonda

03/03/2002 05:07:30 PM

I'm also tired of Muslims abroad criticizing Western culture on the spurious basis of TV shows like "Dynasty" and "Baywatch"...even as they watch them religiously. Whose fault is it that they choose to watch tacky, trashy American TV, or that they choose to generalize what they see on such obviously over-the-top programming as some kind of authentic statement about American life?

tawonda

03/03/2002 05:03:47 PM

But evidently the Muslim world doesn't dislike the United States enough to stop emigrating here and to stop sending its students to study at our universities. Funny how that moral-outrage thing works.

RobertWesley

03/03/2002 02:58:04 PM

Having been part of two mission teams to Kosova, a predominately Muslim region, I can say there is at least one place where USA is genuinely loved for having rescued ethnic Albanians from Christian terrorists. Had Kosova been included in the poll, I am sure their response would have supported the USA and other western nations.

kaveh500

03/02/2002 10:08:17 AM

In another section of the Gallup poll, 98% of Muslims stated that black is white, up is down, pigs can fly and that Israelis and Americans cook and eat children.

Bravo88

03/01/2002 06:22:05 PM

Well as polls goes, this was probably one of the better designed ones but something to remember is that people may not feel free to answer contrary to their country's official position. Also many of the people responding may never have travelled to or gotten to know the U.S. and western nations beyond what is presented in the media. If I had not made two friends who are from Iran then I might have a very stereotypical view of Iranian people because of the ways that the western media portray Iran and Iranians. Having said that, there is nobody I mistrust more than the western media and our own governments. Having been blessed with the ability to form my own opinions and to evaluate situations, I choose to consider that not everything in the media nor stated by the government is true. No government nor media organization has a monopoly on truthfulness.

nahin_patha

03/01/2002 01:50:13 PM

cdknill, I believe the real issue is the one-sided media in the Arab contries, not America! The Arabs state everything from their point of view and leave out any balance whatsoever. American media has little problem saying then they dont agree with American policy, whereas Arab media does not seem to have the choice. As for the specific examples you mentioned: America supports Israel politically yes, financially yes. She also gives billions to Palestinians, Egypt, Pakistan, to MANY muslim nations. We have no fly zones over parts of Iraq to *protect* the Kurdish Iraqis there from Sadam! We have bases in Saudi from when they SCREAMED for us to protect them, and as of yet have no been asked to leave. THAT IS NOT THE DEFINITION OF OCCUPATION!

nahin_patha

03/01/2002 01:49:59 PM

THAT is the problem with Arab media. They chose to tell only the side that paints us in the worst light. They chose to use only the terms that will arouse hatred and anger. They ignore the fact that we do more for them than their fellow contries do! We may have bad policies in arab opinions but arabs have WORSE policies in OUR opinions! That does not give us the right to start blowing their buildings or OURSELVES up in their countries and expect to get away with it by saying 'we simply dont agree with your policies!'

annabr

03/01/2002 12:39:07 PM

I think that the last point is important. Remember that people often start to conceptualize and express their frustrations and anger in religious language--this is particularly true in times of war. Only then does the religious conflict take a life of its own. It is very important to remember that the conflicts in the Middle East, while taking on an increasingly religious context, is economic, social, and political in nature. Most people spending a significant amount of time in the Arab world will see a side of US foreign policy not shown on CNN and Fox...The US (and Israel) have become targets not because people see them as infidels, but because their policies have had some very negative effects on local populations.

cdknill

03/01/2002 10:26:01 AM

An infedel is simply one who does not believe as you do . . . a disbeliever. Neither I nor any other Muslim I have ever known has ever used this word. I am not saying it doesn't happen I am just saying I have never heard of such a thing. Personally I love America and can't think of a better place to live or practice my faith. The real issue with most muslims is the unbalanced aproach America uses toward dealing with predominantly Muslim countries. She supports Isreal against the palestinians by giving them TONS of materials. She blockades Iraq with the net result being the starvation deaths of millions of it's inhabitants. Then there is the continued occupation of Saudi Arabia. In any case the issue is much deeper then simly saying that America is the infedel. In fact it is much deeper that what I have said. You should probably research it more on your own.

Itcametopass

03/01/2002 06:29:09 AM

Many Muslims who have a negative view of the U.S., make frequent use of the term “the infidel.” Frankly, I don’t know what they mean when they use this term, and apparently, neither does the average American. I recently asked a group of my peers what they thought this term meant. The answers were all over the board. 1. Dishonest, lacking integrity 2. Disabled, unable to work, clumsy, incompetent, weak 3. Unwilling to work, lazy, adrift, neglectful 4. Impotent, sterile 5. Stupid, dull 6. Unfaithful, sexually immoral 7. Enemy, opponent 8. Faithless, unbelieving, doubting, skeptical 9. Godless, atheistic, become their own god, irreverent 10. Heathen, not belonging to the prevailing belief system I wonder if Muslims realize that the average American probably doesn’t understand what they are trying to convey by using this term. By the way, I thought it meant #3 above. Since I am new to this board, I don’t know if this was already addressed. If so, my apologies.

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