Islamic Extremism: Common Concern for Muslim and Western Publics

Comment from the contributor:

From Pew Global Attitudes Project --

So how to Muslims feel about Islamic extremism?  Often, in the West, Islam is either demonized or entirely misunderstood.  And contrary to what many Westerners might think, Muslims themselves do not endorse Islamic extremism and violence, such as that carried out by al Qaeda and other violent ideologically driven groups.  This study examines attitudes throughout Muslim countries on the role of Islam and extremism.

“ Views were mixed as to the negative consequences of extremism. In Morocco and Indonesia, six-in-ten cite violence as the potential consequence of greatest concern to them; in Lebanon and Jordan, loss of freedom and division of the country are most frequently cited. A majority of Turks and Moroccans were also concerned about divisions in the country from extremism. Setback to economic development is one of the top concerns for 58% of Jordanians and 46% of Pakistanis. ”