Too many Muslims among us believe in violence

Seven percent of Muslims in America told Pew researchers that violence against civilians is “sometimes” justified in the name of Islam, and one percent said “often.” Whoa! This means there are more than 100,000 Muslim adults living in this country who could justify a suicide bombing in the name of their religion.

That is not to say that 8% would actually strap on an explosives-packed vest, but the fact that so many find it justifiable is scary enough. And the most likely place that terrorist recruiters or internet propagandists will find American Muslims who would be willing to kill is among those Muslims who don’t see anything wrong with it.

And what are the worldwide implications of these statistics? Well, if we applied the United States’ 8% figure of those who would “sometimes” or “often” justify suicide bombings and other forms of violence in the name of Islam, there would be more than 100 million people around the world who just might condone the next terrorist attack. And that number might be low. According to Pew, 15% or more of adults in U.S.-allied Turkey, Jordan and Egypt believe suicide bombings are sometimes or often justified. A 2006 Pew poll found that, in France, 15% of Muslims believe suicide attacks are sometimes or often justified.

Keep in mind, this is not Fox News commentary — this is how Muslims are self-identifying to Pew researchers.