Poll: Muslims Worldwide Lacked Confidence in Bin Laden

By MEGAN THEE-BRENAN
NYT

In recent months, most Muslims around the world lacked confidence that Osama bin Laden would do the right thing for world affairs, according to a survey released on Monday by the Pew Research Center.

The survey, part of the Global Attitudes Project, included interviews in the last two months with Muslims in five predominantly Muslim countries — Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey — and the Palestinian territories. While the poll found that broad majorities of Muslims in all six areas did not have confidence in Bin Laden, the largest minorities expressing confidence in him were in the Palestinian territories (34 percent), Indonesia (26 percent) and Egypt (22 percent). Fewer had confidence in Bin Laden in Jordan (13 percent), Turkey (3 percent) and Lebanon (1 percent).

This year’s survey shows a continued deep erosion in support for the Qaeda leader — in 2003, 72 percent of Palestinians, 59 percent of Indonesians and 56 percent of Jordanians were confident in Bin Laden’s approach to world affairs.

(More here.)