Fouad Ajami reports on an opinion survey taken by a leading Arab electronic daily newspaper, regarding the Cordoba mosque and Islamic center to be located at or near (depending on your perspective) Ground Zero.
Keep in mind that domestic public opinion against the location is widely denigrated in the mainstream media, left-wing blogosphere, and academia, as necessarily reflecting Islamophobia.
But the survey of Arab opinion cited by Ajami shows that many, if not most, people in the Arab world agree that the location selection was unwise. As reported in The Wall Street Journal (h/t HotAir)(emphasis mine):
The truth is that the trajectory of Islam in America (and Europe for that matter) is at variance with the play of things in Islam’s main habitat. A survey by Elaph, the most respected electronic daily in the Arab world, gave a decided edge to those who objected to the building of this mosque—58% saw it as a project of folly.
Elaph was at it again in the aftermath of Pastor Terry Jones’s threat to burn copies of the Quran: It queried its readers as to whether America was a “tolerant” or a “bigoted” society. The split was 63% to 37% in favor of those who accepted the good faith and pluralism of this country.
So does that make 58% of the Arab world “Islamophobic”?
Something is going on here which was obvious even before this survey. The constant agitation over Islamophobia, like the constant use of the race card, is just another political tool to demonize people who happen to disagree.
There certainly are some people opposed to the mosque who hate Islam, just like there undoubtedly are some people in favor of it who hate Jews and Christians, but in each instance that is a minority opinion.
So the next time someone screams “Islamophobia” once the topic of the Corboda mosque comes up, tell them to tell it to the Arab world.
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Comments
Professor,
I was tempted to use that poll for my own blog, which is very seriously anti-GZM, but then that second bit sounds like just a reader survey, maybe an online poll, and that casts suspicion on the first one. maybe it was a scientific survey but right now it is really, really unclear.
@A.W. – notice I said "survey" not "poll" and made sure to say "many if not most" because it clearly reflects a widespread belief, but whether it is a majority probably would require more formal polling.
The term or suffix "phobia" is used too widely and much too incorrectly in such terms as "homophobia" and, as to this note, "islamophobia".
As to the latter term, the following quote is applicable: "A phobia is defined in Webster's dictionary as an "inexplicable and illogical fear of a particular object, class of subjects or situation.". Fear of Islamic extremism and its potentially catastrophic consequences is not inexplicable or illogical. It is a rational reaction to dangerous, irrational people who would use weapons of mass destruction to bring about their apocalyptic vision." (From Joseph Klien's "Playing The Islamophobic Card", "Front Page Magazine"; March 5, 2007.)
I suggest that we all now substitute (In our daily use, in magazine/newspaper "Style Books", political speeches, sermons, etc.) the term "ISLAMOFORIA", where the term "foria" derives from the Greek and denotes a state of being-on-guard—Which is the proper response to Islam and all Muslims (Based on their "religious duty" to destroy our culture, government, nation and civilization).