Originally published by the Voice of America (www.voanews.com).
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April 25, 2007

Survey: Muslims Believe US Trying to Undermine Islam
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=17352CD:A6F02AD83191E160A3284997840AF05F9574F7DCC14957C0 Survey shows what
Americans view as 'war on terror', Muslims in Egypt, Pakistan,
Indonesia and Morocco perceive as assault on Islam A new survey of
four major Muslim nations says a large majority of people in those
countries believes that undermining Islam is a key goal of U.S.
foreign policy.  The poll was released Tuesday in Washington and VOA
correspondent Meredith Buel has details.

The survey was conducted by the Center for International and Security
Studies at the University of Maryland of more than 4,000 people in
Egypt, Pakistan, Indonesia and Morocco. 

Steven Kull, director of the university's Program on International
Policy Attitudes, says most Muslims polled in these countries have an
overwhelmingly unfavorable opinion of the U.S. government.

Kull says what most Americans view as the war on terror since the
September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, is perceived by those
Muslims surveyed as an assault on their religion.  

"Very large majorities say it is definitely or probably a goal of the
U.S. to weaken and divide the Islamic world," he said.  "This feeling,
tone, comes through strongly in the focus groups as well, this feeling
of being under siege.  We may conceive of the war on terrorism as
being focused on terrorists.  There is clearly a feeling in this part
of the world that it is a war against Islam."

According to the survey, most respondents have mixed feelings about
the terrorist group al-Qaida.  Large majorities of those polled agree
with al-Qaida's goal of trying to drive the U.S. military out of
Muslim countries.

They also say, however, that groups such as al-Qaida who use violence
against civilians are violating the principles of Islam.

Steven Kull says many of those polled approve of efforts to target
U.S. soldiers in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Persian Gulf. "One of the
more disturbing findings is that there is substantial support for
attacks on U.S. troops operating in the region," he added.

The survey says large majorities of those polled support efforts to
expand the role of Islam in their societies.

While wary of Western values, majorities of people surveyed in each
country say a democratic political system is a good way of governing
their countries.


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