PEW survey finds a substantial amount of Palestinians believe bombings are often or sometimes justified.
By JPOST.COM STAFFMike's Place suicide bombers 370(photo credit: REUTERS)
A substantial number of Palestinians think suicide bombing is justified, a poll by the PEW Research Center published this week found.The survey, that polled Muslims in 21 countries worldwide, found that 40 percent of Palestinians believe that attacks against civilians in defense of Islam can be often or sometimes justified.The support for these attacks was high in the region. Twenty-nine percent of Egyptians supported suicide bombings, and 15% of Jordanians. In Turkey, 15% view these attacks as a legitimate means to defending Islam against its enemies.In Afghanistan, where suicide bombings against Western targets occur frequently, 39% believed it is a justified means of resistance.The poll also examined Muslim views on the following topics: Homosexuality, women's rights, Sharia Law, and honor killing.The findings indicate that 89% of Palestinians think homosexuality is immoral, think women must always "obey" their husband and favor the imposition of Sharia Law into their society. A smaller amount (45%) believe honor killing is sometimes justifiable.The poll surveyed 994 adults between December 4, 2011 and January 2, 2012.
