Tuesday, December 18, 2007
That's 10% of the population...just another way of spinning the results of this poll (as far as it's reported by CNN -- we know how careful we have to be about the way the MSM spins poll results). Saudis also support war on Israel, but aren't too keen on being blown up themselves, apparently. The majority doesn't much care for Hizballah (the Hez is Shi'ite, after all), and they're split on Hamas. They are the most pro-American, with 40% viewing us "favorably" (which leaves the majority on the other side): Poll: Most Saudis oppose al Qaeda
Ten percent of Saudis have a favorable view of the al Qaeda terrorist network, according to a survey by Terror Free Tomorrow, an international public opinion research group based in Washington.
Fifteen percent said they have a favorable view of al Qaeda's leader, Saudi exile Osama bin Laden, the poll found...
...Saudis also have a better opinion of the United States than in other countries in the Muslim world, with 40 percent saying they view the U.S. favorably. That compares to 19 percent in Pakistan, according to a poll taken by the same group in August, and 21 percent of Egyptians, according to a May survey by the Pew Research Center.
But while the poll was encouraging, "It's not all Kumbaya," he added. Bergen said a "substantial minority" of Saudis -- 30 percent -- support fighting against U.S. and coalition troops in Iraq, and 52 percent would support Saudi Arabia's development of nuclear weapons...
...Thirty-three percent of Saudis viewed Hezbollah favorably, compared to 42 percent unfavorably. When asked about Hamas, 37 percent had a positive response, while 38 percent viewed the group unfavorably.
But Ballen said the survey shows the Saudi population is now one of the most pro-American in the Muslim world, with 69 percent of those surveyed supporting close ties between Riyadh and Washington...
...Saudi King Abdullah is the leading advocate of an Arab League proposal that would normalize relations with the Jewish state in exchange for an Israeli withdrawal to the frontiers it held before the 1967 Mideast War.
But his support for a comprehensive Mideast peace "definitely does not carry over at all," Ballen said: Thirty percent of Saudis support a peace treaty, even if it resulted in the establishment of a Palestinian state, the survey found.
"He's not backed by his own citizens on that," Ballen said.
Saudis expressed support for a free press and free elections, though 79 percent also said they continued to support an absolute monarchy -- and 15 percent supported the recent sentence of 200 lashes and six months imprisonment of a 19-year old Shiite woman for being with a male acquaintance before she was gang-raped by seven men...
About a month after the 9/11 attacks, a poll indicated that 95% of educated Saudis supported Bin Laden's cause. This poll is an awfully big turnaround.
This info about the poll was also interesting
Despite the kingdom's somewhat forbidding reputation among Westerners, Ballen said those contacted were far more receptive to pollsters than most Americans. The poll's response rate was 61 percent, compared to 10 to 15 percent for most U.S. surveys
I wonder who was polled and why they were so receptive