Europe's "Double Disillusionment" with Radical Islam, and the US, Post-9/11

September 11, 2006

Source: BBC News

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/5336596.stm

On September 11, 2006 BBC News reported, "On the fifth anniversary of the 11 September attacks against the US, Europeans agree with Americans that terrorism inspired by Muslim fundamentalism is a big threat to their lives. That new fear, combined with alarm at the conflicts on Europe's doorstep in the Middle East and serious European doubts about US global leadership, means Europe as a whole is marking the anniversary in a mood of pessimism and uncertainty... Europe's double disillusionment - with its US ally and with the reported growth of fanatically violent Muslim groups in its towns and cities - is apparent from opinion polls. A survey in the US and 12 European countries, released a few days ago by the German Marshall Fund of the US, found that disapproval of US handling of international affairs among Europeans had reached a new peak of 77%. Europeans are also much more fearful of Islamic fundamentalism, with 56% now identifying it as an 'extremely important' threat (compared with 58% of Americans), and another 34% seeing it as an 'important threat' (Americans 31%)."