The Christian Science Monitor had a good article on the myth of Muslim support for terror. It explored a study by University of Maryland's Program on International Public Attitudes. It found that almost twice as many Pakistanis than Americans opposed wanton violence against civilians than Americans.
86 of people in Pakistan, seen as a hotbed of Islamic extremism, felt that "bombing and other attacks intentionally aimed at civilians" were "never justified."
74 percent of people in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim country, agreed.
Only 46 percent of Americans felt the same way.
By contrast, 24 percent of Americans felt that such attacks were "often or sometimes justified."
Furthermore, hard core ideologues in this country perpetuate the myth that not only are Muslims more predisposed to supporting wanton violence than 'civilized' westerners, but also the myth that Muslims ignore the good deeds done by Americans.
The study found that 71 percent of bin Laden supporters in Indonesia and 79 percent in Pakistan said they thought more favorably of the United States as a result of American humanitarian assistance in their countries.
The article pointed out that their professed support of terrorism/bin Laden can be more accurately characterized as a kind of "protest vote" against current US foreign policies, not as a deeply held religious conviction or even an inherently anti- American or anti-Western view.
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