Poll shows Palestinians prefer Islamic state over secular one

Published: 2004-04-28

JERUSALEM (CNS) -- Almost 60 percent of Palestinians said they would prefer that a future Palestinian state follow Islamic religious laws rather than those endorsed by the Palestinian Legislative Council, according to a recent poll. The same percentage also said they would rather live in a Palestinian Islamic state than in a secular democratic state. "Palestinian Christians would of course be in a difficult position (under these conditions)," said Walid Shomaly, executive director of the Palestinian Center for Research and Cultural Dialogue, which conducted the poll April 1-3 and released the results to journalists April 23. "Many Palestinian Christians are sensitive ... to Islamic Shariah and perceive the imposition of Shariah as persecution. Also for secular Muslims ... a Palestinian Islamic state would be very harsh. There is no possibility of an Islamic state being tolerant," he said. Shariah is the religiously based law of Islam.

Copyright (c) 2004 Catholic News Service /U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The CNS news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed, including but not limited to such means as framing or any other digital copying or distribution method, in whole or in part without the prior written authority of Catholic News Service .