by Ed Royce, U.S. Representative, 40th Congressional District (includes Fullerton)
(Originally for http://www.redcounty.com/, re-posted here without permission)
On Monday, The Los Angeles Times reported on a new Pew Research poll of the Muslim world. Seven countries - Jordan, Lebanon, Nigeria, Indonesia, Egypt, Pakistan and Turkey –were surveyed. The findings shoot off the page like a cannon…
For most Americans, things like stoning are the stuff of Biblical times. Readers of this space will know that it's still common in a place like Iran. But as this new survey shows, the practice enjoys widespread support in Egypt, Jordan, Pakistan and Nigeria. For what it's worth, most of these countries are fairly close to the U.S. and rake-in much aid. The practice of lopping off the hands of robbers --as well as the death penalty for apostates-- also have support off the charts.
In Pakistan – a country of 184 million and 70 nuclear weapons – over three quarters of the population supports all three harsh punishments. Even where support for stoning is "low," the numbers are alarming high. Stoning is least popular in Turkey, with 16 percent support. But that still gives you over 12 million Turks supporting this barbaric punishment. I have to say that Egypt's 82 percent is a shocker. I take polls with a grain of salt, especially in this part of the world. But still...
Finally, Pew reports that in nearly all of the countries surveyed, support for this harsh punishment "coexists with support for democratic governance." Too bad their understanding of democracy doesn’t "coexist" with things like religious freedom, individual liberty, or decency.
For most Americans, things like stoning are the stuff of Biblical times. Readers of this space will know that it's still common in a place like Iran. But as this new survey shows, the practice enjoys widespread support in Egypt, Jordan, Pakistan and Nigeria. For what it's worth, most of these countries are fairly close to the U.S. and rake-in much aid. The practice of lopping off the hands of robbers --as well as the death penalty for apostates-- also have support off the charts.
In Pakistan – a country of 184 million and 70 nuclear weapons – over three quarters of the population supports all three harsh punishments. Even where support for stoning is "low," the numbers are alarming high. Stoning is least popular in Turkey, with 16 percent support. But that still gives you over 12 million Turks supporting this barbaric punishment. I have to say that Egypt's 82 percent is a shocker. I take polls with a grain of salt, especially in this part of the world. But still...
Finally, Pew reports that in nearly all of the countries surveyed, support for this harsh punishment "coexists with support for democratic governance." Too bad their understanding of democracy doesn’t "coexist" with things like religious freedom, individual liberty, or decency.
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