Indonesians turn supportive of United States
In a dramatic shift in public opinion, more Indonesians now view the United States more favorably than in a negative way. At the same time, support for Osama bin Laden has dropped to its lowest level since 9/11.
Those are the findings in a new poll conducted in Indonesia for Terror Free Tomorrow, www.terrorfreetomorrow.org a Washington-based organization whose advisory board includes Tom Kean and Lee Hamilton, the chairman and vice chairman, respectively, of the 9/11 commission. The poll found that despite widespread stories on the Koran desecration, Guantánamo abuses, and the publication of cartoons of the prophet Muhammad, favorable opinion toward the United States among Indonesians actually increased to 44 percent at the end of January 2006 from 34 percent a year ago. Unfavorable views, the poll found, declined to 41 percent from 54 percent.
At the same time, there were declines in support for bin Laden, dropping to 12 percent from a high of 58 percent in 2003. The dramatic shift was caused, said Terror Free Tomorrow President Kenneth Ballen, by America's tsunami relief program. Ballen said: "The fact that more than a year after American help, Indonesians continue to appreciate America's role is stunning proof of the sustained power of positive and substantial assistance to radically change Muslim public opinion." Ballen said that the opinion poll was conducted by a highly respected, nonpartisan public opinion research firm in Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim country; some 1,200 respondents were polled over the January 23-28 period.
The poll has a margin of error of 2.9 percent, according to Terror Free Tomorrow.
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