Hot Docs: Muslims Reject Attacks on Civilians, but Not Always on U.S. Troops

Muslims Reject Attacks on Civilians, but Not Always on U.S. Troops: Large majorities in predominantly Muslim countries reject the use of attacks on American civilians to further political goals, a wide-ranging poll of Muslims finds. The survey, conducted by WorldPublicOpinion.org with support from the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism at the University of Maryland, covered Egypt, Pakistan, Indonesia, Turkey, Jordan, the Palestinian territories, Azerbaijan, and Nigeria. More than 70 percent of respondents in nearly all the countries polled said they disapproved of attacks on American civilians, suggesting that such attacks are ineffective as a means of achieving political goals. However, the poll, conducted July through September 2008, finds that large majorities support the al Qaeda goal of removing the U.S. military from Islamic countries. Some 87 percent of Egyptians, 64 percent of Indonesians, and 60 percent of Pakistanis agree with that goal. Also, large numbers, and in some cases majorities, approve of attacks on U.S. troops in Muslim countries.

Need for Security Increases in Bad Times: The current economic crisis has increased the need for security at businesses and organizations across the globe. A survey conducted by ASIS International, a trade association for private security workers, found that 78 percent of chief security officers at large companies and organizations reported an increased need for security compared with 66 percent of security managers at smaller operations. The firms involved tended to be quite large. Of the CSOs surveyed, the typical one worked for a company of more than 15,000 employees with a security budget exceeding $5 million. The survey also included security managers at smaller firms, where the typical company had about 2,500 employees and a security budget of about $2 million. The reasons cited for greater security needs by CSOs included general increases in crime and theft, employee cutbacks, increases in theft of property, and increases in workforce violence. Security mangers listed damage to company property and theft of property, followed by general increases in crime and theft and employee cutbacks.

Treasury Sets Banking Aid Terms: Financial institutions participating in the government's Capital Assistance Program must adhere to a stringent set of rules concerning executive pay and oversight, according to terms released by the Treasury Department. In announcing the terms and conditions for the CAP, Treasury said that by ensuring "that banks have capital in a sufficient amount and quality to withstand even a considerably weaker-than-expected economic environment, the CAP instrument should improve confidence and increase the willingness of banking institutions to lend." Among the conditions are that recipients of CAP funds will be subject to executive compensation requirements, that banks must submit a plan detailing how they will use the money to increase lending above levels that would not have been possible without the government funds, and that banks are required to file monthly reports to the Treasury Department on their lending activity, which will be posted online.