Posted on 12/26/2001 9:21:53 AM PST by Alouette
Levels of support among Americans for moderate Arab states and Washington's Arab allies have dropped to an all-time low, according to new survey by Zogby International. Arab American groups have called the results "shocking," saying that the figures show a dramatic shift in Americans' attitude toward the Arab world.
Only 10 percent of Americans view the Palestinian Authority favorably, compared to a huge 72 percent that are totally unsympathetic toward the PA, according to a recent comprehensive poll in the U.S. on Washington's attitude toward the Middle East and the Israeli-Arab conflict.
The lowest ever level of support was recorded for Egpyt and Saudi Arabia. Only 24 percent of those asked saw Saudi Arabia in a positive light, while 58 percent held negative views about the kingdom.
Israel, in complete contrast, prompted the opposite response, with 59 percent of Americans expressing positive opinions on Israel, compared to 28 percent who held negative views.
A closer look at the Zogby poll on the Middle East shows that there has been little change in U.S. attitude toward Israel since the start of the Oslo peace process: 61 percent support in 1993 compared to 59 percent today. Following the September 11 attacks, the October poll recorded a 68 percent support rate for Israel, which has since declined, returning to its 60 percent average. The percentage of those who view Israel negatively, however, has risen since October from 14 percent to the current 28 percent.
American public opinion toward the Arab world has undergone a complete turnabout: In 1993, some 64 percent of respondents expressed a favorable opinion of Egypt, compared to just 38 percent today. The months of October and November saw the sharpest drop. Saudia Arabia has never won many hearts and minds in the U.S., but support has plummeted from 56 percent at the start of 2001 to just 24 percent currently.
The respondents were given a list of countries and asked which they considered to be good or bad allies of the U.S. Some 52 percent responded that Israel was a very good or generally good ally of Washington, with just 28 percent giving the same answer for Egypt and 22 percent for Saudia Arabia.
In October, respondents explained their negative attitude to the Arab states because of their "relations with terrorists," that "one can't know what their position is," and because "they can't be trusted."
There has not however been a significant change in the American public's attitude toward the Israeli-Arab conflict since the September attacks, with 61 percent of respondents saying that the Israelis and Palestinians were equally to blame. There was however a slight fall in the percentage of those who see Israel as solely responsible for the conflict, dropping from 6 percent three years ago to just 4 percent currently. The number of respondents who believe the Palestinians are to blame rose more sharply from 9 percent in 1998, to 24 percent today.
The Arab lobby in Washington is blaming the "anti-Arab propaganda campaign" that has been waged since the September 11 attacks for the shift in attitude.
James Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute and brother of the editor of the survey, John Zogby, said that "what the results show is that a tremendous task confronts those who value the relationship and the pursuit of Middle East peace ... The downward slide can be arrested and reversed, but it will require a concerted effort."
Zogby blamed a "steady diet of anti-Arab information" for the swing in public opinion, saying that "those who are seeking to disrupt and discredit the relationship are working overtime."
"Work must be done and it should begin before more damage occurs," he stressed.
What is shocking is that it took the murder of over 3,000 Americans and the destruction of tens of billions of dollars of property, plus a nice recession, to open the eyes of the American public. Oh well, I guess that most people are like their grandparents - it took Pearl Harbor to wake up a good part of the public 60 years ago, so I shouldn't be too surprised.
Arab Americans are fine by me, as long as they are law-abiding and show some reasonable morality. Same, by the way, for anyone else of any ethnic or religious heritage. Those, especially clerics, who have public authority and haven't condemned outright the acts of 9/11 (or who did so very weakly due to intense pressure) are not on my "most admired" list. They can go to the Devil, along with their apologists like the Zogbys.
Zogby blamed a "steady diet of anti-Arab information" for the swing in public opinion, saying that "those who are seeking to disrupt and discredit the relationship are working overtime."Who are they kidding? Did Zogby just become brain dead (again?) .... how about this bit of "biased" fact that old Zog seems to ignore:
In spite of this outright admission of guilt (referring to the recently discovered Bin Laden tapes disclosing names, timetables, plans, etc. for 9/11 tragedy), "Al-Jazeera television, bin Laden's lapdog in the Middle East, has already put an expert on the air, who only having same the tape in the past few minutes along with the rest of the world, determined miraculously that the tape is a fake and has been doctored." sourceHey Zogby! ... go move your headquarters to Kartoum or somewhere other than US of A!!
Because your persepective is greatly diminished when your head is up your @ss.
What I find amusing is the claim that America lost its 'innocence' on 9/11, as if we're the most clueless bunch of idiots on the planet. Somehow I'm supposed to believe that some goat herder in Bumfuq, Egypt has a better grasp on the world order than I do.
Arab Americans have sunk themselves with their fellow Americans by using the massacre of 9-11 to further their political agenda in the Palestinian situation. Everyone I know was disgusted with that.
The Arab world had better realize that THEY are responsible for the change in attitudes. Since they have been very vocal about hating everything we stand for, I don't understand why they care how we view them.
But the damning thing is that the "respectible" muslim leadership does not seem to understand why we don't like our planes being hijacked and rammed into our buildings. What if it suicidal Southern Baptists started ramming into Mecca? That will never happen because we are from a different culture. They do need to grow up from their medievial culture, and we must help them do so, no matter what.
Oh yeah? And I thought all along that the "...the Israeli defense ministry and it's 'amen corner' in the United States" have finally taken over Free Republic. (/sarcasm off)
The Arab heads of state are utterly obtuse. Make peace! Crack down on the radicals! End the mindless propeganda!
"Why Clinton caved in to Israel"
http://www.salon.com/news/1998/07/28news.html
Ummm...lessee. Beasts huh? Works for me. Tell ya what. If the arabs decide to allow freedom of worship (including allowing Christian churches to be built in Saudi Arabia), if arabs stop funding the slaughtering of Christians, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, etc, if arabs stop funding those that destroy the holy places of other religeons, if arabs stop funding those that wish to destroy the United States, then maybe we will view them as humans instead of beasts.
The Arabs have turned themselves into beasts. Their actions and inactions clearly show that.
Yes, but I'm not questioning about the illiterate goat herder in Bumfuq, Egypt, I'm wondering about the muslim leadership which have remained almost entirely silent. Silence does speak volumes sometimes.
As opposed to the anti American "higher learning" establishments called college.
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