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February 3, 2012

Polls: Jordanians and Palestinians strongly negative toward Jews

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Polls showed overwhelmingly negative feelings for Israel and Jews among Jordanians and Lebanese.

The polls commissioned by The Israel Project in November and December and published Thursday showed 94 percent negatives for Israel and 99 percent negatives for Jews among Jordanians, and 100 percent negatives for Israel and 99.8 percent for Jews among Lebanese.

Polling suggested strong distrust of governments in both countries. Among Jordanians, 99 percent said a high government priority should be managing the economy, 98 percent said it should be reducing bribery and corruption and 95 percent said it should be protecting Jordanians from government authorities who take their property.

Among Lebanese, the same numbers were 93 percent, 87 percent and 84 percent respectively.

Pollsters in these countries do not outright ask about approval of government as such questions tend to raise red flags among the authorities and invite government interference, according to the Israel Project.

There were sharp differences between the countries regarding the role of Islam in government: A majority of Lebanese—54 to 41 percent—said Shariah, or Islamic law, should not be taught in schools, and an overwhelming majority—91 percent—said speech freedoms should include saying unpopular things about Islam. Lebanon has a large Christian population.

By contrast, in Jordan, 88 percent of respondents said Shariah should be taught in schools, and 91 percent said speech freedoms should not include saying unpopular things about Islam.

Pechter Polls, which carried out the surveys, interviewed 1,000 adults in each country, and did not identify the poll as originating with the Israel Project.

The margin of error in both polls was 3 percentage points.

The Israel Project conducts such polls in part to shape its messaging for its Arabic language outreach to journalists and through social media.

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A very unlikely link between Mormons and Jews is found in The Book of Mormon. Yea, the Book of Mormon begins with a Jewish family being led by God from Jerusalem circa 600 BCE, but that is not the link I am referring to.

In “The Book of Mormon”, the family that fled Jerusalem, within a few years or decades of reaching what later became called the Americas, split into two family groups. The larger group were called the Lamanites, the smaller, and generally more prone to be righteous group, the Nephites. (1 of 3)

Comment by diligentdave on 2/04/12 at 12:27 pm

(cont’d) The Nephites, over much of their 1,000 year history, especially during the first 600 years, attempted again and again to make peace with the Lamanites. But contention and wars between the groups were more common than not.

Two ‘Book of Mormon’ verses describe WHY it didn’t happen—

And it came to pass that many means were devised to reclaim and restore the Lamanites to the knowledge of the truth; but it all was vain, for they delighted in wars and bloodshed, and they had an eternal hatred against us, their brethren.  And they sought by the power of their arms to destroy us continually.

(Book of Mormon | Jacob 7:24)

AND

(2 of 3)

Comment by diligentdave on 2/04/12 at 12:29 pm

(cont’d) 17 And thus they have taught their children that they should hate them, and that they should murder them, and that they should rob and plunder them, and do all they could to destroy them; therefore they have an eternal hatred towards the children of Nephi.

(Book of Mormon | Mosiah 10:17)

This, I believe, especially well describes at least why Arabs and Muslims have an unchangeable anti-Jewish sentiment. It is taught them from the cradle, and reinforced culturally, societally, throughout their lives.

And, as long as Arabs and Muslims do this,I believe, progress in reconciliation between them and Jews will remain unlikely to ever happen!

(3 of 3)

Comment by diligentdave on 2/04/12 at 12:30 pm

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