Muslim nations in the Middle East fear extremism

According to a Pew Research Centre survey, the majority of Middle Eastern countries with a large Muslim population fear Islamic extremism and maintain negative views of extremist organizations like Hezbollah, Hamas, Al-Qaeda and the Taliban.

The survey, conducted among 14,244 respondents in 14 countries, concluded that the fear amongst people in the Middle Eastern countries is on a rise.

Some respondents said that violence was justified to defend Islam. However, such support has reduced in the last decade.

About 46 per cent of the population in Palestinian regions support the view, reports the Daily Star.

A complete analysis of the survey says that al Qaeda is losing supporters in most of the Middle Eastern countries.

Some people in these countries also refused to comment on the issue while the majority did not side with al Qaeda.

The survey, also conducted in Nigeria, shows that a large number of people condemned Boko Haram, the terrorist organization that has been causing havoc in the northern part of the country.

The Lebanon militant organization, Hezbollah was also seen as unfavourable in the Middle East.