An in-depth poll of major Muslim countries has found that in all of them large majorities believe that undermining Islam is a key goal of US foreign policy... there is also uncertainty about whether Al Qaeda actually conducts such attacks. Only 3 percent of Pakistanis think Al Qaeda conducted the September 11 attacks. There is strong support for enhancing the role of Islam in all of the countries polled, through such measures as the imposition of Sharia. This does not mean that they want to isolate their societies from outside influences: Most view globalisation positively and favour democracy and freedom of religion.If someones doesn't already believe that AQ was behind 9/11, it's not because of a lack of evidence. Among other things, AQ very publicly claimed responsibility for the attack. So it's not a matter of evidence - it's a matter of how that evidence is put together. These nuts put together tangled webs of conspiracy theories, all to hold on to their absurd belief. So the question then becomes: what's driving this willful ignorance? What's going on in the background that causes people to ignore all the obvious evidence and search for disconnected suggestions of facts to weave together? There's a basic underlying drive to hold on to pathological beliefs. They don't hate the US because they believe that AQ is innocent. They believe AQ is innocent because they hate the US.
Read an extended version of this post at Mere Rhetoric...
As a group, Muslims are prone to the victimology mindset.
ReplyDeleteThere is not a single moderate Muslim political organization, academic institution, media outlet, or government, of any appreciable size, anywhere in the world.
ReplyDeleteWherever Muslims congregate in large numbers, there is ignorance and cruelty.