posted
Germans negative on Islam, poll shows 18 May 2006
BERLIN - Germans are growing increasingly negative over Islam and concern is rising over the country's Muslim minority, a recently released poll shows.
"If one looks at this from a pessimistic viewpoint it could be seen as the start of a downward spiral toward conflict," said the Allensbach polling agency who conducted the survey for the Frankfurter Allgemeine newspaper.
Asked if they though Christianity and Islamic could co-exist peacefully, 61 per cent of those surveyed said they believed there would always be "major conflicts" between both faiths.
Some 91 per cent said they associated Islam with oppression of women, up from 85 per cent in 2004.
The statement that Islam was dominated by fanaticism was shared by 83 per cent, compared to 75 per cent two years ago, the poll showed.
A total of 71 per cent said Islam was intolerant, up from 66 per cent in 2004.
Asked if there should be a ban on the building of mosques in Germany as long as the building of churches in some Islamic states is forbidden, 56 per cent agreed, said the poll.
There is even considerable backing for ending Germany's constitutional right of freedom of religion with regard to Islam, the poll showed.
Asked if strict limits should be imposed on the practice of Islam in Germany to protect the country, 40 per cent said they would support such moves.
A total of 56 per cent said they believed "a clash of civilizations" had already begun, up from 46 per cent in 2004, the poll results showed.
posted
That is pretty-shocking to me. I have no idea how the media is in germany, how it portrays muslims and islam though.
It is ashame that when people are asked these questions they probably just think of the latest suicide bombing in iraq etc, rather than beautiful places like Egypt and how friendly and tolerant 99% of muslims are.
If I was asked a similar set of questions about christians and christianity, I would obviously have more positive replies. But then, they aren't 'flavour of the month', are they? Posts: 61 | From: England | Registered: May 2006
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quote:Originally posted by _Khalid_: That is pretty-shocking to me. I have no idea how the media is in germany, how it portrays muslims and islam though.
Hi Khaled,
here are two articles on the subject that you might find interesting.
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check out memri.org for what Wafa Sultan, a Syrian born psychologist had to say on Al Jazeerah to a defender of Islam vis what we are witnessing today. She didn't care for the "clash of civilizations", and offered instead:
"The clash we are witnessing around the world is not a clash of religions, or a clash of civilizations. It is a clash between two opposites, between two eras. It is a clash between a mentality that belongs to the Middle Ages and another mentality that belongs to the 21st century. It is a clash between civilization and backwardness, between the civilized and the primitive, between barbarity and rationality. It is a clash between freedom and oppression, between democracy and dictatorship. It is a clash between human rights, on the one hand, and the violation of these rights, on other hand. It is a clash between those who treat women like beasts, and those who treat them like human beings. What we see today is not a clash of civilizations. Civilizations do not clash, but compete."
The video clip received over a million hits earlier this year:
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Muslims Should Blame Themselves, Not bin Laden
Who is responsible for the abysmal image of Islam in the West? According to this op-ed article from Kuwait's Arab-language Al-Seyassah, it is not the fault of bin Laden or Zarqawi, but that of the Muslims of the West, who have abandoned their God-given reason and 'failed to return the West's goodwill.'
By Ahmad Al Baghdadi Translated By Nicolas Dagher March 16, 2006
Muslims as a Percentage of the European Population.
Osama bin Laden is a terrorist, a criminal, a murderer, is a vile man and has many inhuman attributes, but he is certainly not responsible for the rise in hatred toward Muslims in Europe. This hatred is demonstrated by the adoption (by Western governments) of many new measures taken to stem the flow of Muslims into Europe and the United States. As a preventive measure, the U.S. is imposing laws that restrict civil liberties and infringe on human rights, to provide security for citizens and residents. For example, the Patriot Act that the President recently signed allows intelligence agencies to tap the phone calls of Americans.
Europe has specifically targeted Muslims, by asking them to pass difficult exams (when applying for refugee or immigrant status), requiring them to know the official language.
Moreover, Europe has imposed tough laws against women wearing the hijab (which covers the hair) and the nikab (which covers the entire body) such as in France, Germany and lately Holland.
And there can be little doubt that tougher measures concerning Muslims are soon to come. Although the fact is that Islam is the fastest-growing religion in America, the truth is that to Europeans and Americans, despite the many Islamic institutions in the West, Islam is the most mysterious religion. The sad fact is that Islam is being tied to terror because the terrorists quote [Koranic] verses and religious "hadiths [narrative of the Prophet]" to justify acts of terror and the slaughtering of hostages.
Moreover, whenever imams accuse non-Muslims of being heretics, curse them, and portray Jews as descendents of monkeys and pigs, they create in the Western mind an image of Islam as an intolerant religion that rejects religious diversity.
Consequently, Muslims themselves are responsible for disfiguring Islam's image in the Western mind. They have failed to present a positive image of Islam, and therefore are responsible for all the trouble that has descended on Muslims today.
Why don't I consider bin Laden responsible? Because bin Laden didn't become a terrorist, killing people and destroying countries, after listening to anyone else's advice [He was never recruited and trained to blow himself up].
God has been generous to us and has given us Reason, so that we can differentiate between good and evil, and justice and injustice. Has any of you seen those who incite others to "Jihad," go themselves or send one of his own children to Jihad? On the contrary, while they push idiots into Jihad in Iraq and Chechnya, they increase the number of wives they have, thanks to the money donated by people of goodwill. Through these donations, [terrorist leaders] enjoy material wealth, and even send their children to study in America, start businesses and deposit fortunes in foreign banks.
Osama bin Laden never forced anyone to go to Iraq, kill its people and destroy its infrastructure. He has forced no one to kill innocent people in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, America and Europe. Bin Laden didn't tell European Muslims to hate the countries that have given them refuge and made them rich after their poverty, fed them after their hunger, provided them with freedom after being enslaved in their own Muslim counties, and finally educated them after they were ignorant. You, the Muslims of the West, made all of these catastrophic choices out of your own free will. You willfully sought evil and failed to return the West's goodwill with goodwill. What do you expect from the Westerner, when he sees his own citizens killed in the name of religion? Sees hate in the name of religion? Sees terrorism harm him in the name of religion?
It is only natural that the West hates you, and that the West puts increasing restrictions on you, to prevent you from "invading the West" (while you are living in it) as you proclaim in your speeches and press reports.
The West now rejects the idea of new Muslim arrivals, to prevent you from infecting Muslims who are already there, and who are reasonable and understand that their religion is based on the principles of peace and dialogue, and to protect those Muslims who have refused to terrorize, kill and destroy the very people who have provided them with safe shelter and an honorable living.
The truth that we have to face today is that the people in the West no longer trust Muslims in general. Moreover, Muslims living in the West must completely cut all ties to Muslims living in the East, and they must repair the damage in their relations with Western societies.
This can be done if Muslims proclaim their acceptance of the human values for which the West stands.
Muslims are also required to cut all ties to religious leaders whose "fatwas [religious edicts]" fail to "bring food to the hungry [improve the lives of people]."
If Muslims do as they should, they will have to bear the consequences of the approaching hardships. But they shouldn't blame bin Laden or Zarqawi, but should instead blame themselves for being ignorantly influenced by misguided imams and religious leaders.
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Thanks for the links, Dalia. An interesting read. It seems, at least according to those two articles, that things in germany are slowly getting better.
I imagine though that any report of an 'honour' killing or the latest iraq bomber killing dozens, would be like 5 steps backwards.
Posts: 61 | From: England | Registered: May 2006
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