Western, Muslim societies ‘irreconcilable’: poll

From The National Post:

Geoff Robins/AFP/Getty Images

Geoff Robins/AFP/Getty Images

56% of respondents in a new Leger Marketing poll see Western and Muslim societies locked in an unending ideological struggle.

  Sep 11, 2011 – 3:45 PM ET

By Randy Boswell

A majority of Canadians believes conflict between Western nations and the Muslim world is “irreconcilable,” according to a new national survey that revealed a strong strain of pessimism in the country leading up to Sunday’s 10th anniversary commemorations of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the U.S.

The survey of 1,500 Canadians, conducted over three days last week for the Montreal-based Association for Canadian Studies, showed 56% of respondents see Western and Muslim societies locked in an unending ideological struggle, while about 33% — just one-third of the population — held out hope that the conflict will eventually be overcome.

Another 11% of those polled didn’t answer the question.

ACS executive director Jack Jedwab said the finding has “serious ramifications” for Canadian policies aimed at bridging divides between cultures, which are based on the premise that citizens believe significant progress in mending such religious and cultural conflicts is achievable.

The dark view expressed in the survey “contradicts a fundamental idea in multicultural democracies like ours, that conflicts between societies can be resolved through dialogue and negotiation,” said Jedwab. “This is also a key element in multiculturalism, where Canada is often seen elsewhere in the world as a model in conflict resolution.”

He adds: “If a majority of Canadians feel it is irreconcilable, what does this imply for the various projects and programs in place that aim to bridge gaps?”

The online survey, carried out Sept. 6 to 8 by the firm Leger Marketing, is considered accurate to within 2.9 percentage points 19 times out of 20.

The results also confirm the findings of other recent surveys highlighting Canadians’ ongoing anxiety about the state of security in the post-9/11 world and their deep doubts about whether the long and bloody war in Afghanistan has done much to thwart the threat of terrorism.

In fact, 65% of respondents in the ACS survey said they don’t believe the world is safer from terrorists today than it was 10 years ago. And 70% of those surveyed said they don’t believe the war in Afghanistan has reduced the chances of terrorist attacks.

Jedwab said the “pessimistic feeling” about what the war has accomplished is likely linked to the “widespread hopelessness” about the prospects for ever resolving the deep-rooted, “ideological” conflict between Muslim and Western societies.

Many Canadians have come to believe “nothing will work” to end that conflict, said Jedwab, adding that this grim state of mind will require more scrutiny to fully understand and more carefully crafted public policies to rebuild a sense of optimism about the future of global relations.

The survey did offer one notable “ray of hope,” Jedwab suggested, pointing to a result showing that a slight majority of Canadians (52%) believe it would be wrong for airport security officials to do “extra checks” of “passengers who appear to be of Muslim background.”

While 39% of respondents were open to that kind of profiling, Jedwab interpreted the majority’s rejection of the practice as a sign that most Canadians realize such infringements “would make the purportedly irreconcilable conflict even deeper if the enshrined principles of our rights charters are to be disregarded.”

About Eeyore

Canadian artist and counter-jihad and freedom of speech activist as well as devout Schrödinger's catholic

5 Replies to “Western, Muslim societies ‘irreconcilable’: poll”

  1. Only way to avoid a civil war, the worst type of war, is to state openly that the MC experiment has failed, mainly because of Islam/Muslims. Z|nd then start policies that make it impossible for Muslims to be devout Muslims in the West

    1. Ban the construction of mosques

    2. Profile Muslims at travel centres

    3.Ban the burqa

    4. No Eid etc holidays

    5. Teach Christian values and values of Western civilisation in schools

    6. Ban halal in all forms, as it is against our cultural traditions

  2. the west’s tolerance of muslims was founded on ignorance of the true nature of islam.
    it is now founded and sustained on fear and denial by those of the class that caused this debacle.
    war will be the result, long, bloody and wastefull war.
    the west must re-arm and should not be shy of utilising chemical and biological weapons to defend civilisation.
    treachery at the top is the gravest threat we face, we must learn to vote wisely.

  3. ‘The dark view expressed in the survey “contradicts a fundamental idea in multicultural democracies like ours, that conflicts between societies can be resolved through dialogue and negotiation,” said Jedwab. “This is also a key element in multiculturalism…’

    Regrettably, far too many of the conflicts between Western civilization and Islam are conflicts between the objectively good and the objectively bad. And it is not possible to compromise between the objectively good and the objectively bad. To attempt to do so is to sacrifice the good to the bad. In short, the objectively good is not open to negotiation. Also, one cannot reason with the unreasonable. To attempt to do so is to evade reality.

    ‘He adds: “If a majority of Canadians feel it is irreconcilable, what does this imply for the various projects and programs in place that aim to bridge gaps?”’

    The premise ‘fifty thousand Frenchmen can’t be wrong’ is, of course, a false premise. But in this particular instance it is correct.

    ‘The survey did offer one notable “ray of hope,” Jedwab suggested, pointing to a result showing that a slight majority of Canadians (52%) believe it would be wrong for airport security officials to do “extra checks” of “passengers who appear to be of Muslim background.” While 39% of respondents were open to that kind of profiling, Jedwab interpreted the majority’s rejection of the practice as a sign that most Canadians realize such infringements “would make the purportedly irreconcilable conflict even deeper if the enshrined principles of our rights charters are to be disregarded.”’

    Since virtually all terrorist attacks are perpetrated by Muslims, it would be unreasonable and highly negligent for airport security officers not to subject passengers of apparent Muslim background to ‘extra checks’. ‘Rights’ which violate the rights of others are not rights and should be rejected.

    It is time for our policy makers to open their eyes, and then choose to see.

  4. I am willing to bet that the 11% that didn’t answer the question thinks the societies are irreconcilable but are afraid of being labeled racist.

    George you are right, not profiling according to who has been carrying out the terror attacks is in my opinion criminal, I wish all nations would start doing this.