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What do Arabs really think about the problems that afflict them, and how is this
related to the issues Islamic terrorists are fighting and dying (and killing)
for? A recent "Opinion Survey of the Arab Street 2005" by Al Arabiya news
network provides some interesting answers. The survey sought to see what Arabs
thought about the relative lack of economic progress in the Arab world. In
answer to the question, ?What is stalling development in the Arab world?,? 81
percent chose "Governments are unwilling to implement change and reform", 8
percent citing "The ongoing Arab-Israeli conflict," 7 percent "Civil society is
failing to convince governments", and 4 percent chose
"Terrorism".
Another question, "What is the fastest way to achieve
development in the Arab world?", had 67 percent choosing "Ensuring the rule of
law through justice and law enforcement", 23 percent chose "Enhancing freedom of
speech", and 10 percent chose "Resolving the Arab-Israeli
conflict".
Islamic terrorists represent a small minority of Arab
thinking, and interests. But most Arab media and governments, for obvious
reasons, avoid the ?bad government? issues and instead concentrate on the
Arab-Israeli conflict as the cause of all that is bad in the Arab world. While
few Arab governments support all Islamic terrorists, many support some (like the
Palestinian terrorists, or Hizbollah in Lebanon). An Arab government will
support terrorists as long as there is no terrorist attacks against themselves,
and the terrorists are working against the government?s enemies. Syria has
played this game enthusiastically, perhaps too much so, for decades. By getting
behind terrorism and hostility towards Israel, Arab dictatorships believe this
will distract their people from problems closer to home. But this ploy is
working less well of late. The invasion of Iraq in 2003, the forcible removal of
an Arab dictator and enthusiastic participation in democratic elections has
terrified Arab despots throughout the Middle East. The Islamic terrorists are
generally hostile to Arab dictators, but have made deals with the devil in order
to survive. Increasingly, Arab people are fed up with the tyrants and
terrorists, and are willing to do something about it.
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