Killing for religion is justified, say third of Muslim students

[roberto]

Killing for religion is justified, say third of Muslim students

A third of Muslim students in Britain believe killing someone in the name of religion is justified, a new poll claims.

By Patrick Sawer
Last Updated: 1:00AM BST 27 Jul 2008

The survey found that extreme Islamist ideology has a profound influence on a significant minority of Muslims on campuses across the country.

The findings will concern police chiefs, the security services and ministers, who are struggling with radicalisation among Muslim communities.

The YouGov poll was conducted for the Right-wing think tank, the Centre for Social Cohesion, at 12 universities, including Imperial College and Kings College London. It also found:

40 per cent support the introduction of sharia into British law for Muslims
a third back the notion of a worldwide Islamic caliphate (state) based on sharia law
40 per feel it is unacceptable for Muslim men and women to mix freely
24 per cent do not think men and women are equal in the eyes of Allah
a quarter have little or no respect for homosexuals.
Although 53 per cent said that killing in the name of religion was never justified, compared with 94 per cent of non-Muslims, 32 per cent said that it was. Of these, 4 per cent said killing could be justified to "promote or preserve" religion, while 28 per cent said it was acceptable if that religion were under attack.

There was also sympathy for the view that Muslim soldiers in the Armed Forces should be allowed to opt out of operations in Muslim countries, with 57 per cent agreeing.

The report's authors found that Islamic societies on campus, operating under the umbrella of the Federation of Student Islamic Societies, exert a strong influence on many of Britain's 90,000 Muslim students. A quarter of them belong to Islamic societies and their views are often more extreme.

While three-fifths of society members said that killing in the name of religion was acceptable, an equal number of non-member Muslims said it was never justified. The security services have identified Islamist activism at universities acts as a possible "gateway" to violent extremism. Several terrorists and sympathisers began their extremist careers on campuses.

The authors of the report, "Islam on Campus", lay much of the blame for extremism among Muslim students on the group Hizb ut-Tahrir, which seeks to build a worldwide Islamic state.

YouGov polled 600 Muslim students and 800 non-Muslim students at universities with a high number of Muslims.
Killing for religion is justified, say third of Muslim students - Telegraph

[Variable]

Having heard a lot of discussion around most of those points, I wouldn't say that stuff is extremist at all. You have to understand where people are coming from, and not let your own interpretations, (and extrapolations) run wild.

[Jaysh]

This poll is a typical media distortion and manipulation. For a Muslim, when fellow Muslims are attacked and killed, it becomes incumbent on the Muslims to fight back and kill the oppressors and invaders. This is Jihad, and a part of our religion. It is also a part of Christian religion, and it comes under the heading of "The Just War", something which has been approved officially by the Church.

I urge you to read the book "Who Speaks for Muslims". It is written by Gallup Poll, which is the most authoritative polling service in the world today. That book polled the 1 billion Muslims, and the results show that the vast majority of Muslims are moderate. As for the radicalized minority amongst Muslims, Gallup Poll also polled Non-Muslim Americans and found that a greater percentage of Non-Muslim Americans were radicalized than Muslims!

This stupid poll posted by Robert fails to show how many Christians would believe that killing in a holy war could be justified. I bet you anything you will find a higher percentage of people who say yes. The fact that most Americans agreed to invading Iraq is proof of this!

[roberto]

Variable said

Having heard a lot of discussion around most of those points, I wouldn't say that stuff is extremist at all. You have to understand where people are coming from, and not let your own interpretations, (and extrapolations) run wild.

You make assumptions and present them in a rather patronising fashion.

Thanks for the dancing it was enjoyable

[roberto]

[QUOTE=Jaysh;192571]

This poll is a typical media distortion and manipulation.

Please provided evidence of manipulation and distortion

For a Muslim, when fellow Muslims are attacked and killed, it becomes incumbent on the Muslims to fight back and kill the oppressors and invaders. This is Jihad, and a part of our religion. It is also a part of Christian religion, and it comes under the heading of "The Just War", something which has been approved officially by the Church.

Okay but note the percentage who disagree and also the specific conditions

I urge you to read the book "Who Speaks for Muslims". It is written by Gallup Poll, which is the most authoritative polling service in the world today. That book polled the 1 billion Muslims, and the results show that the vast majority of Muslims are moderate. As for the radicalized minority amongst Muslims, Gallup Poll also polled Non-Muslim Americans and found that a greater percentage of Non-Muslim Americans were radicalized than Muslims!

Thanks for the information

This stupid poll posted by Robert fails to show how many Christians would believe that killing in a holy war could be justified. I bet you anything you will find a higher percentage of people who say yes. The fact that most Americans agreed to invading Iraq is proof of this

I fail to see how limiting a poll to a particular group is stupid.

Thanks for your comments are careful not to be too dismissive purely on the basis that you would wish the information to be incorrect

[roberto]

[QUOTE=Jaysh;192571]

I urge you to read the book "Who Speaks for Muslims". It is written by Gallup Poll, which is the most authoritative polling service in the world today.

Who Speaks For Islam: A Review
April 5, 2008 – 11:46 pm
This is a review of Who Speaks For Islam: What A Billion Muslims Really Think, by John Esposito and Dalia Mogahed. Gallup Poll Press. First Printing: 2007.

This book attempts a systematic survey of how Muslims generally view democracy, civil rights, the status of women, and the relationship between Islam and the West.

The most important message behind the book is the notion of how similar the citizens of Muslim nations and people living in the West are. For example, in the first chapter, “ Democracy and Theocracy”, 42% percent of Americans interviewed in a Gallup poll survey suggested that “ religious leaders should have a direct role in writing the constitution.” 55% percent believe that religious leaders should “ play no role at all.” According to the book, the Iranian population has presented similar opinions.

This book contains surprises. For example, it claims that 60% percent of pro-democracy Muslims went to a religious service in the past seven days before being interviewed. Clearly, such statistics force a re-think of the very definition of democracy. Is there only one form of democracy? Must a good democracy separate religion and politics? Is the Western form of democracy widely accepted as the only standard?

Most importantly, can a model of democracy which embraces religious principles and democratic values actually exist?

The book focuses on a lot of controversial topics, women’s rights being one of them. I found it a good primer on how a non-Muslim can engage with female Muslim activists to help improve women’s rights internationally. The authors use the case of Rűdiger Nehberg, a German who founded TARGET, an organization against female genital mutilation, to suggest that a successful attempt to improve the status of Muslim women must utilize the Qu’ran in illustrating that misogyny violates Islamic principles.

I was disappointed, however, by the absence of questions regarding Israel. Some Christians in the United States and Europe view Israel as a battleground between Christianity, Judaism and Islam, so why not ask how Muslims feel about the issue?

Furthermore, the polls should have included questions investigating Muslims’ opinions on global issues such as oil prices and global warming. For some reason, Muslim nations get left out of the discussion when the world considers the environment.

On the whole, this book provides original insights into the global Muslim community. It is a must-read for anyone who considers the teachings of Islam to only be a source of conflict - a reductive worldview that won’t solve our problems any time soon.

GlobalComment » Who Speaks For Islam: A Review

[Zeinab]

roberto said

Killing for religion is justified, say third of Muslim students


The report's authors found that Islamic societies on campus, operating under the umbrella of the Federation of Student Islamic Societies, exert a strong influence on many of Britain's 90,000 Muslim students. A quarter of them belong to Islamic societies and their views are often more extreme.
...

Killing for religion is justified, say third of Muslim students - Telegraph

What a load of crap.

FOSIS is amazing (and I'm not even at uni yet); you have no idea how politicaly engaged it is as an organisation, and how much work they and various Islamic Societies do for universities up and down the UK for the general student populace.

And anyway, what conclusion do you think a right-wing think tank is going to come to? Talk about bigotry.

Here's a press relesase by FOSIS and the NUS (National Union of Students) regarding the Telegraph's article above.

FOSIS & NUS Criticises Report by Centre for Social Cohesion

The Federation of Student Islamic Societies (FOSIS) in the UK and Eire, together with the National Union of Students (NUS), today condemned the "Islam on Campus" report carried out by the Centre for Social Cohesion.

Faisal Hanjra, President of FOSIS, said today, "This is yet another damning attack on the Muslim community by elements within the academic arena whose only purpose seems to be the undermining of sincere efforts by mainstream Muslim organisations to tackle the threat of terror which wider society faces. The report is methodologically weak, it is unrepresentative and above all serves only to undermine the positive work carried out by Islamic Societies across the country."


"Muslim students have had a tough time since the dreadful attacks on 7/7, they have faced numerous challenges with courage and perseverance, it is evident that those challenges have yet to go away and what is equally evident is the resilience of Muslim students to face those challenges. The message though to those who seek to cause this mischief is clear, we will not be deterred, our work will continue and the results of our efforts are clear for all to see."

Wes Streeting, President of NUS added, "This report is a reflection of the biases and prejudices of a right wing think tank - not the views of Muslim students across Britain. Only 632 Muslim students were asked vague and misleading questions, and their answers were then wilfully misinterpreted in order to fit this organisation's own tawdry obsession with Islam."

"NUS works closely with government, universities - and crucially - Muslim students and Islamic societies up and down the country in an effort to promote a climate on campuses based on inclusion, tolerance and respect. We know there is a concern about the serious issue of violent extremism on campus, but there is a wealth of evidence to show that this is not widespread. This report actually undermines cohesion and the joint efforts of students, institutions and government in tackling violent extremism."

[Ends]

Notes:

1. FOSIS (est. 1962) is the umbrella organisation of student groups in colleges and universities throughout the UK and Ireland, representing over 90,000 Muslim students.

2. For more information please contact FOSIS media on 07786636691, email \n media@fosis.org.uk This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or alternatively visit our website www.fosis.org.uk

Source: FOSIS & NUS Criticises Report by Centre for Social Cohesion


Roberto, you're an idiot.

[Glasgow]

roberto said

The YouGov poll was conducted for the Right-wing think tank

next please.

[roberto]

[QUOTE=Zeinab;192594]

I was going to respond with comment on what you presented as a response until I reached this:

Roberto, you're an idiot

however it would be an utter waste of time would it not.

I hope assuming you get Uni that you will developed at least a degree of ability in debate, however I have my doubts about both possibilities

[psychoteddybear]

My question is: what is the ethnic/cultural background of these Muslims who say killing is justified.

[Zeinab]

To Roberto : and pray tell me, what will debating with you actually achieve?

You're well known on here for the rubbish that you post - do you actually read what you post? Are you able to think critically, that I should waste my time debating with you on matters that you've already made a judgement about.

Again, another idiotic response.

[Rambo]

psychoteddybear said

My question is: what is the ethnic/cultural background of these Muslims who say killing is justified.

most likely radical pakistanis, britian seems to full of them

[LEGALEAGLE]

Zeinab said

Roberto, you're an idiot.

Its easier if you say Retardo...

[psychoteddybear]

Rambo said

most likely radical pakistanis, britian seems to full of them

Why is their culture so retarded?

[psychoteddybear]

LEGALEAGLE said

Its easier if you say Retardo...

why stoop to that level.