On October 20, 2023, the polling company Cygnal released a report on Americans’ views about the early October Hamas terrorist attack on Israel. The report was titled Survey of General Population: Israel-Hamas Awareness and Attitudes.[1] The survey presented the same questions to six different groups: Jewish Americans, Muslim Americans, Evangelicals, Republicans, Independents, and Democrats, with the results being shown for each.
One of the disturbing results of this survey came in response to this question:
Below you will read a list of names of various people mentioned in the news recently. For each one, please indicate if you have heard of the person, and if you have, whether you have a favorable or unfavorable impression of the person. If you don’t recognize a name, choose so.
The name given was Ismail Haniyeh, a senior Hamas leader, and 38.6% of Muslim Americans had a favorable impression of him (of the other five groups, the closest favorable rating came from Democrats at 14.9%). There are an estimated 3.45 million Muslim Americans in the United States. This survey indicates that around 1.3 million Muslim Americans have a favorable impression of Haniyeh.
This is disturbing for two reasons. On October 8, 1997, the United States designated Hamas as a Foreign Terrorist Organization. And in January 2018, the U.S. State Department designated Ismail Haniyeh as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist.
This favorable impression of Haniyeh was not due to a lack of information among Muslim Americans. The survey showed that when asked how closely they had followed events in Israel since the attack by Hamas on October 7th (“Hamas Awareness”), 30.9% of Muslim Americans responded “Somewhat Closely,” and 44.9% responded “Very Closely.”
When asked about being informed with regard to “Fatah, Hamas and Palestinian politics,” 65.4% of Muslim Americans considered themselves “Informed,” and 7.3% considered themselves “Expert.”
The survey showed that Muslim Americans were also aware of the following events regarding the October 7th attack by Hamas:
- “Over 1,200 people were killed in Israel, including women, infants, the elderly, and Holocaust survivors.” Very Aware: 36.4%, and Somewhat Aware: 41.9%
- “Over 250 people who were attending an all-night music festival were killed in Israel.” Very Aware: 33.7%, and Somewhat Aware: 42.7%
- “Over 100 people, incljuding women and young children, were abducted from Israel and are bing held hostage in Gaza.” Very Aware: 36.9%, and Somewhat Aware: 44.4%
- “Hamas militants decapitated young children during their attack in Israel.” Very Aware: 25.9%, and Somewhat Aware: 40%
So despite the extent of the knowledge among Muslim Americans about the above incidents, around 1.3 million Muslim Americans still had a favorable impression of Haniyeh, and by inference, HAMAS. It would have been very interesting to see the results if Cygna had asked the Muslim Americans their opinions on the above incidents.
Another disturbing result came from the same question about favorability being asked, but this time the name was Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. He is a man with whom the chants of “Death to America” and “Death to Israel” are closely associated. 31.3% of Muslim Americans had a favorable impression of Khamenei (of the other five groups, the closest favorable rating came from Democrats at 15.9%). So a little over one million Muslim Americans have a favorable impression of Khamenei.
Just as disturbing was the response to this question:
The Biden administration acknowledges that Hamas is nothing but a proxy for Iran and is funded and supported by Iran. Would you be more or less likely to vote for a political candidate who supports releasing billions of dollars in frozen assets for Iran to use any way it chooses?
32.6% of Muslim Americans were “More Likely” to vote for such a candidate (of the other five groups, the closest “More Likely” rating came from Democrats at 18.6%).
28.3% of Muslim Americans were “More Likely” to “vote for a political candidate who supports allowing Iran to evade sanctions and earn billions of dollars from oil sales” (of the other five groups, the closest “More Likely” rating came from Democrats at 15.9%).
And 44.7% of Muslim Americans support the recent pro-Palestinian protests and demonstrations across multiple cities in the United States (of the other five groups, the closest “Support” rating came from Democrats at 25.2%).
Conclusion
The results of this survey show a generally inverse relationship between the responses of Muslim Americans and the responses of the other five groups. In theory, there is nothing wrong with public differences in opinion, and that is one of the freedoms we cherish in the United States. However, it is a different matter when survey results reveal one group’s massive support for a global terrorist (and by inference, the foreign terrorist organization that he heads), massive support for the leader of a terrorist-supporting country in which the chants of “Death to America” and “Death to Israel” are regular features, and massive support for that particular country to evade sanctions and receive billions of dollars in frozen assets to be used anyway that country chooses.
I have already shown in my book Islamic Doctrine versus the U.S. Constitution: The Dilemma for Muslim Public Officials,[2] that core tenets of Islamic Doctrine are in direct, irreconcilable conflict with the United States Constitution. The attitudes and beliefs of around one million or more Muslim Americans regarding terrorists and the support of terrorists shown in this survey raise serious questions about the security of the United States. This is especially so when considering that in fiscal year 2023, the Border Patrol encountered and released over 900,000 illegal aliens into the United States, and also estimated that during that same time period there were over 600,000 unidentified “gotaways” who had evaded the Border Patrol and entered the United States.[3] How many are unidentifed HAMAS or Iranian terrorists, and what kind of welcome might they be receiving?
Dr. Stephen M. Kirby is the author of six books about Islam. His latest book is Islamic Doctrine versus the U.S. Constitution: The Dilemma for Muslim Public Officials.
[1] https://www.cygn.al/new-national-poll-muslim-americans-say-hamas-was-justified-in-attacking-israel-majority-of-americans-say-iran-should-be-held-accountable-majority-support-israels-right-to-self-defense/
[2] Stephen M. Kirby, Islamic Doctrine versus the U.S. Constitution: The Dilemma for Muslim Public Officials (Washington D.C.: Center for Security Policy Press, 2019). A PDF copy of this book is available for download at https://www.centerforsecuritypolicy.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Kirby_Islamic_Doctrine.pdf.
[3] Adam Shaw, “Mayorkas confirms over 600,000 illegal immigrants evaded law enforcement at southern border last fiscal year,” Fox News, October 31, 2023, https://www.foxnews.com/politics/mayorkas-confirms-over-600k-illegal-immigrants-evaded-law-enforcement-southern-border.
A recent poll by the Arab World for Research and Development (AWRAD) painted a vivid picture of who the innocent Palestinian Arabs are about whom the world is decrying their treatment in Israel’s war with Hamas, the same world that’s been an impotent deaf mute, overlooking decades of abuse and war crimes against the Palestinian Arabs under Hamas, the PLO, and Islamic Jihad. The current situation begs the question, for another conversation, as to whether anyone in the world actually cares about the well-being of the Palestinian Arabs or if this is just a cover for antisemites to find an excuse to blame Israel again and again and again.
The wartime poll was conducted between October 31 and November 7 among 668 people in the Palestinian Authority, including Gaza and the “West Bank” (Judea and Samaria).
So, who are the innocent Palestinian Arabs?
Spoiler alert in case you don’t care or have time for the details: the poll shows that Palestinian Arabs roundly support terror against Israel, reject peace with Israel, and deny Israel’s very right to exist.
To its credit, ARWAD actually published these results. They did so with no shame. But they should be ashamed for their society and everything it says about the century-long dehumanization of Jews and delegitimization of Israel. Maybe it depicts their desire to portray this reality in the hope that there will be change. However, as deep as the hostility to Israel is, it’s hard to imagine even a handful of righteous people looking to change their society rather than celebrate its deeply rooted evil.
The AWRAD poll depicts widespread hostility, hatred, and legitimization of terror. It did not start just because of the war, and certainly not as a response to the horrific October 7 massacre against Israel. It shows that innocent Palestinian Arabs celebrate it. These results are the product of hateful incitement against Israel from long before the advent of the Palestinian Authority in the 1990s and since celebrating terror, honoring the terrorists, and providing generous pensions to the perpetrators and their families.
The results must be a wake-up call for Israel, the broader world (even the antisemites for whom these facts are an inconvenient truth), and anyone in the international community who truly seeks peace in the Middle East. It underscores that the worn-out paradigms of the past are invalid, and the world needs to look through the prism of helping to resolve a problem based on reality, not how people want to think the world ought to be.
The poll’s overall results indicate that an overwhelming percentage of innocent Palestinian Arabs:
overwhelmingly support the October 7 massacre against Israel (75%),
support the genocidal creation of a Palestinian state “from the river to the sea” in place of Israel (74.7%),
seek the restoration of “historical Palestine” as a final resolution (71.1%), albeit that there was never an independent entity under Arab authority known as Palestine to restore,
and obviously, they reject coexistence with Israel (85.9%).
As if in a high school popularity contest for homecoming king and queen among competing terrorist organizations, innocent Palestinian Arabs:
believe that Hamas plays a somewhat to very positive role (76%),
believe that Palestinian Islamic Jihad plays a somewhat to very positive role (84%),
believe that Fatah’s (the PLO) terror wing, the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade, plays a somewhat to very positive role (79.8%),
believe that Hamas’ armed wing, the Al-Kassam Brigades, plays a somewhat positive function (88.6%).
Innocent Palestinian Arabs also harbor unsurprisingly antisemitic and anti-Western views and believe that they are victims and not the perpetrators:
91.5% think that support for Israel is the result of the “influence of the Israeli lobby;”
85.5% think that support for Israel is the result of “hatred of Arabs;”
79.5% agreed with the belief that this support is the result of “hatred of Muslims and Islam.”
Biting the hands that feed them, which have provided untold millions to fund their society, innocent Palestinian Arabs:
see the U.S. role as unfavorable (98.2%),
see the UK role as unfavorable (96.7%),
see the EU role as unfavorable (92.6%)
But innocent Palestinian Arab’s disdain is not just for the Western hands that feed them. Within the Arab world, innocent Palestinian Arabs:
see the United Arab Emirates playing the most negative role (96%),
see Saudi Arabia playing the second most negative role (95.5%),
see Egypt playing the third most negative role (84.6%)
see Jordan playing the fourth negative role (75.6%).
Notably, these countries have either made peace with Israel, or were close to that before October 7. No doubt innocent Palestinian Arabs must hold in high esteem countries that are rocks of stability and democracy in advocating for their well-being such as Yemen, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and Iran.
Looking locally at their own “society” , innocent Palestinian Arabs seek greater control by the most hardline terrorists, in a population where all their leaders come from terrorist organizations. Innocent Palestinian Arabs believe:
the Palestinian Authority plays a negative role (87.3%),
Fatah (the PLO) plays a positive role. (23.2%),
Hamas should continue to play a role in the Palestinian government (85.8%),
support a “national unity” government of Fatah (the PLO) and Hamas. (72.2%),
The war will end with a Palestinian victory that “achieves the liberation of Gaza from the Israeli invasion.” (74.3%)
Innocent Palestinian Arabs’ positive perception of the terror organizations that control their society remains high despite their role in the October 7 massacre and being used as human shields by the very same terrorist leaders who they hold in high esteem.
To be clear, I don’t want to see the death or suffering of any actual innocent Palestinian Arabs. Nor do the vast majority of Israelis. The truism before October 7 remains, if they were to lay down their weapons today, they could have peace tomorrow. If we were to lay down our weapons (or be unprepared or live in a naïve false reality) they would slaughter us. On October 7 we saw that.
Israelis desperately want peace. But when we look at statistics like these among “innocent Palestinian Arabs,” it makes us question whether there are in fact any actual peace partners on the other side. It’s not only impossible under Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Gaza. In the Palestinian Authority controlled “West Bank,” the percentage of people who hold negative and genocidal views of Israel is actually greater. According to the AWRAD poll, innocent Palestinian Arabs in the “West Bank ” (Judea and Samaria) support the massacre against Israel at a far greater rate (83.1%) than those in Gaza (63.6%).
The AWRAD poll shows that innocent Palestinian are delusional and hold views that are self-defeating. It raises the legitimate question as to whether Israel has, or ever will have, peace partners. It raises the question as Israel continues its combat to eradicate Hamas, whether all the innocent Palestinian Arabs are really so innocent after all.
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