Terrorism and Bin Laden falling in popularity

Who woulda thunk? The Financial Times reports:

Of the 16 majority Muslim countries included in the survey, 15 have shown waning enthusiasm for terrorism in general and suicide terrorism in particular, it says.

The most striking declines are in Lebanon, where in 2007 34 per cent of people say suicide bombings are justified compared with 74 per cent in 2002. There has been a similar decline in Pakistan from 33 per cent to 9 per cent and in Jordan from 43 to 23 per cent. Only among Palestinians, where 70 per cent say suicide attacks are sometimes or often justified, do a majority continue to support it.

The survey found a similar trend when it asked Muslims whether they had confidence in Osama bin Laden. Almost everywhere there has been a sharp decline in affirmative responses, with Jordan showing the biggest fall (from 56 per cent to 20 per cent). In Turkey, support has dropped from 15 per cent to five per cent since 2002.

"What is striking about these numbers is that support for terrorism has fallen by most in those countries that have experienced significant levels of domestic terrorism in the last few years – Pakistan and Lebanon being obvious examples,” says Andrew Kohut, president of Pew Global Attitudes.