OT: Saudis support bin Laden's views

[Colin]

Poll of Saudis shows wide support for bin Laden's views

By Henry Schuster

CNN

Wednesday, June 9, 2004 Posted: 8:19 AM EDT (1219 GMT)

(CNN) -- Almost half of all Saudis said in a poll conducted last year that they have a favorable view of Osama bin Laden's sermons and rhetoric, but fewer than 5 percent thought it was a good idea for bin Laden to rule the Arabian Peninsula.

The poll involved interviews with more than 15,000 Saudis and was overseen by Nawaf Obaid, a Saudi national security consultant.

It was conducted between August and November 2003, after simultaneous suicide attacks in May 2003 when 36 people were killed in Riyadh.

Obaid said he only recently decided to reveal the poll results because he felt the public needed to know about them.

"I was surprised , especially after the bombings," Obaid told CNN. The question put to Saudi citizens was "What is your opinion of Osama bin Laden's sermons and rhetoric?"

"They like what he said about what's going on in Iraq and Afghanistan. Or about America and the Zionist conspiracy. But what he does, that's where you see the huge drop," said Obaid, referring to the bombings that had already begun taking place inside Saudi Arabia at the time the poll was conducted.

He also said he would like to update the poll numbers in the wake of the recent series of terrorist attacks that have taken place in Saudi Arabia.

Forty-one percent said they favored strong and close relations with America, while only 39 percent said they had a favorable opinion of the Saudi armed forces, both results that Obaid also termed "surprising."

"They don't trust their army," said Obaid, who noted that the security forces fared far better.

He noted that less than a third of Saudis polled had a positive opinion of militant clerics, although government-appointed religious figures did better.

The poll showed strong support for political reforms and allowing women to play a greater role in society. Almost two-thirds said they favored allowing women to drive, something they are currently banned from doing.

While support for political reforms, particularly elections, was high, few Saudis viewed liberal reformers with much favor.

Obaid said he shared the poll results -- some of which were published today in The Washington Post -- with members of the Interior and Foreign ministries, as well as the royal court.

Some were "a bit wary" about the questions, Obaid said, particularly the ones relating to bin Laden, but he received support from the government when he conducted the poll.

The margin of error was plus or minus three percentage points.

http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/06/08/poll.binladen/index.html

[Allan Songer]

No kidding.

[Colin]

Pogo said, we have met the enemy and he is us. The Bush administration met the enemy and they are our allies!

[radiob]

NUKE EM!

[BBB]

[ZAKO]

Would you call that a direct hit ? Or close enough.

[djk]

When playing with things that begin with the letter 'H', close counts (for scoring purposes).

Horse-shoes

Hand-grenades

H-bombs

[BBB]

[dgb]

Of course most Saudi's... and Syrians, and Pakistanis and Iranians and Egyptians, etc,etc agree with Bin Laden. Let's look at the society these people are raised in.

1. Not a single Arab nation has a popularly elected government.

2. The only thing arab TV shows is Israelis (U.S. backed puppets) killing Palistinians. You think FOX news is bias? HA!

3. Their education system entails styding the Koran, absorbing anti-US/Israel propoganda and reading the Koran. There is no intelectual wealth in the mid-east. Their only wealth comes from the ground. The few who do pursue secular educations go to Europe or the U.S.

4. Ultimately the corrupt leaders of these nations are more afraid of Islamic Radicals than we are, they have far more to lose and are much closer to the action. How better to deflect criticism than blame the US/Jew conspiracy for the fact that most Arabs, particularly Palistinians, live in sqalor with little money or hope?

Arab leaders are absolutely unwilling to face the reality that they are responsible for their peoples suffering and misery, not Israel or the U.S. Why? Islam is supposed to be the greatest religion, so if Islamists are living in poverty yet a few hundred thousand Jews have managed to build Silicon Valley II right next door, it doesn't look too good for Islam. This is of coruse completely false logic, but that is the reality of "their" world. Arabs aren;t struggling because of an Internation Jewish Conspiriacy, they are struggling because their leaders jealously hoarding the wealth for themselves, and the only way they can do that is by placating the powerful, usually fanatical, conservative mullahs.

India and Indonesia have more Muslums than the rest of middle east combined, yet we have few if any real problems with them, particularly not India. Why? They have popular governements, are progressing forward... looking to the future, not lamenting about the loss of their greatness 1000 years ago. The Hindus and Muslims have had brutal confrontations in India over the years, just as bad as the Palestinians and Jews, yet at the end of the day calmer, wiser, heads realize that the best they can do is work together. India has had two FEMALE, MUSLIM prime ministers. Can you imagine how that would fly in Saudi Arabia or Iran! The U.S. isn't the problem, nor is Israel, nor is Islam. The problem are corrupt, weak and frightened leaders in the Middle East who can only rule by intimidation and manipulation.