Survey:Muslims think U.S. undermines Islam

WASHINGTON, April 24 (UPI) -- A University of Maryland survey released Tuesday says most Egyptians, Pakistanis, Indonesians and Moroccans feel U.S. foreign policy is against Islam.

The study by the university's Center for International and Security Studies surveyed more than 4,000 people in the four Muslim countries. The findings, released in Washington, D.C., show a vast majority of the Muslims surveyed feel undermining their religion is a key goal of U.S. foreign policy, the Voice of America reported.

Steven Kull, director of the university's Program on International Policy Attitudes, was quoted as saying Muslims in those countries perceive as an assault on their religion what most Americans see as a war on terror since their country was attacked on Sept. 11, 2001.

"This feeling, tone, comes through strongly in the focus groups as well, this feeling of being under siege," he said.

The survey also said most respondents agreed with the al-Qaida terror group's goal to drive the U.S. military out of Muslim countries. But they also said groups like the al-Qaida violate the principles of Islam when they use violence against civilians.

A more disturbing finding was the substantial support for attacks on U.S. troops operating in the region, Kull said.