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| 100,000 British Muslims Back Bombers |
| Monday, August 01, 2005 |
Islamic leaders in Britain are urging their flocks to turn away from "the harbingers of hate" in the wake of a survey showing that 100,000 members of the nation's Muslim community support the London train bombers.
"The word 'Islam' means peace," insisted Rafiq Hayat, national president of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association U.K. "But we have to live by it in order to grow," he warned, in quotes picked up by the Washington Times.
A YouGov survey commissioned by the London Telegraph last week, however, shows that Hayat and other pro-Western Muslim leaders are facing an uphill battle.
Twenty-four percent of 500 Muslims responding said they sympathize with the suicide bombers. More troubling still, 6 percent said the attacks were necessary.
And 1 percent said they'd be willing to commit actual violence in the name of jihad.
YouGov analyst Anthony King told the Times that the 6 percent who insist that the bombings were necessary "may seem a small proportion, but in absolute numbers, it amounts to about 100,000 individuals who, if not prepared to carry out terrorist acts, are ready to support those who do."
The 1 percent who professed a willingness to actually commit violent acts translates into 16,000 Muslims, King said. |
posted by Jay Are @ 2:03:00 PM   |
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