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Wrong questions

Reader comment on item: Suicide Reversal? Polling the Muslim world

Submitted by Archimedes2 (Canada), Aug 3, 2007 at 11:30

Pew is a good polling agency, but they really should get to know the issues and the nature of the population they are polling, the meaning (to that population) of the words they are using, and how they will be interpreted to the wider audience.

First of all, the vast majority of muslims understand suicide to be forbidden in Islam, but do not recognize the validity of the term "suicide bombing" in the sense we do. As in one famous quote by a Hamas-supporting cleric, "They did not commit suicide -- they killed themselves for Islam".

If you ask questions that leave the study group, do decide the meaning of terms you will get meaningless results. Probably 75% of Hamas, PIJ and Al Aqsa Martyr's Brigade would have answered that they don't think suicide bombings are acceptable. That is because they don't call these attacks "suicide bombings" -- that is Haram -- they call them "shahid operations" -- which is perfectly Halal.

I remember last year an article distributed by MEW which quotes a military leader in Iran at a conference in which the 40,000 Shiites who have signed up as suicide bombers against the west is being discussed. He wrings his hands over the situation -- not the potential loss of 40,000 young men in their prime, the evils of organized suicide or the targetting of innocents. He was agonizing over the fact that the West seems incapable of understanding the heroic nature of these people's acts (go figure!) and that they are not simply desperate or suicidal. I am certain that this language barrier has skewed the results.

Second, the poll reflects an understandable but extremely unfortunate fixation our press, and our population, has with the phemonenon of suicide bombing. Indeed, this fixation is the primary goal of these "operations" and it is the press that they receive, through publicity like this poll, that encourage them to continue.

Why not ask a question that will be clearly understood both by the population being studied and by the western audience that needs to know how Muslims around the world regard these actions?

My suggested question: "If a country or group of people show determined and continual resistance to the imposition of Sharia religious law in their region, are you in favour of eventually using military struggle, including attacks on civilians and outright war, to impose the Sharia upon them by force?"

There is another question that needs to be posed, and it deals with the "peaceful Islamist" agenda, and perhaps Dr.Pipes is better able to frame it than I. Why doesn't Daniel offer his services in the framing of questions for any follow-up polls, to avoid the problem caused by different groups of people understanding the same words different ways?

Submitting....

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Reader comments (20) on this item

Title Commenter Date Thread
1islam just changing tatics ... NOT goals [118 words]Phil GreendAug 31, 2007 23:46107419
A Fine Dream [312 words]Rebecca MouldsAug 13, 2007 06:02106068
Subversion and Spawning [189 words]Brian HAug 3, 2007 17:50105440
Wrong questions [461 words]Archimedes2Aug 3, 2007 11:30105393
1the only way is let them taste their own medicine [54 words]susanAug 1, 2007 16:53105243
Re education/Aid $ tied to reform towards prosperity producing capitalism. [54 words]infosifterAug 1, 2007 07:28105216
One battle being won, several to go [202 words]Henrik Ræder ClausenJul 30, 2007 15:12105138
The Gramsci-ization of Islam [365 words]David W. LincolnJul 30, 2007 10:25105119
IF ONLY [212 words]IVAN CHERJul 30, 2007 07:46105115
NOT JUST A "TACTIC [822 words]Ron ThompsonJul 29, 2007 17:04105087
Suicide Reversal? "Working the System" is not tantamount to working against destruction and death ... [78 words]Paul la DemainJul 27, 2007 19:17105008
"Working the System" [412 words]Carol DerbisJul 28, 2007 16:49105008
Cultural strategies [141 words]David W. LincolnJul 27, 2007 10:47104968
dare we hope...? [50 words]richard landesJul 27, 2007 07:05104955
A better way to stop IEDs and acts of terror. [24 words]naclJul 27, 2007 02:35104942
A change of tactics, not a change of heart [185 words]Richard B.Jul 26, 2007 23:21104937
Suicide Bombing. Why? [40 words]John RJul 26, 2007 20:30104928
why jihad ??? [69 words]archiesSep 1, 2007 02:30104928
What are the motivations for suicide terrorism? [18 words]Camilla MukhammadaminovaJan 4, 2008 02:33104928
What difference does it make? [260 words]Romesh ChanderJul 26, 2007 17:08104911

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