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CNN Live At Daybreak

Gallup Poll of Islamic Countries Provides Surprising Results

Aired February 27, 2002 - 05:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Well, you may be surprised at how the Islamic world views the United States and its anti-terror campaign. The Gallup organization conducted a poll that asked people in predominantly Muslim countries their views on the September 11 attacks and U.S. reaction to them.

Our Christiane Amanpour reports on the finding.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Gallup Poll was conducted in nine predominantly Muslim nations: Indonesia, Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. Nearly 10,000 face-to-face interviews in both cities and rural areas revealed a strong negative view in those countries of the United States, President George Bush and the war on terrorism.

Incredibly, after months of evidence filtering into the public, including the widely distributed videotape of Osama bin Laden claiming responsibility for the September 11 attacks on America, 61 percent of those asked said Arabs did not do it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Osama bin Laden might have been used, but this is not something he could not have done himself.

AMANPOUR: Despite that skepticism, 67 percent of those asked said the attacks on the United States were morally unjustifiable; just 15 percent said they were morally justifiable.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I am really sorry. I think it was inhuman act, whatever the reason might be behind it. It is condemned as far as I am concerned.

AMANPOUR: But an even higher majority, 77 percent of those interviewed, said the U.S. war in Afghanistan was morally unjustifiable.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I think the American reaction, so far as Afghanistan was concerned, wasn't very logical, because many people suffered in Afghanistan, lost their homes and lost their lives. And none of them had anything to do with bin Laden.

AMANPOUR: When asked more specific questions about the United States, 58 percent of those contacted say they do not like President George W. Bush, while 53 percent say they have an unfavorable view of the United States itself.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I don't care anything about America. We are brothers to the Taliban and feel sorrow about them.

AMANPOUR: When feelings about America are further explored, most of those interviewed say they like its principles of freedom and equality, its economic prosperity and technological prowess.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I think for Indonesians, America is a developed and democratic nation. I think for many Indonesians, there are many positive things about America, and many of us want to go there.

AMANPOUR: But people in Indonesia and other Muslim countries surveyed accuse America of neither caring about nor sharing its good qualities with them.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): Technologically, America is the best in the world, but personally, I think America has a kind of arrogance in dominating the rest of the world in every way, whether technologically or politically.

AMANPOUR: In effect, this poll surveyed only half the Muslim world. Many countries simply refused to allow or severely restricted Gallup Poll questions. Gallup says Egypt, one of America's main allies, refused to allows its poll to be conducted there.

In addition, Gallup says, it's difficult to compare these results to feelings before September 11, since no similar surveys have ever been done before.

Christiane Amanpour, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: And if you would like to read more of the poll results, all you have to do is log onto our Web site. That would be CNN.com. It's on the front page. The AOL keyword, of course, CNN.

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