How Often Are Suicide Attacks Justified?
The assassination of former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto comes at a time when Pakistani public opinion has been increasingly turning against extremism and terrorist violence. As the 2007 Pew Global Attitudes survey highlighted, support for terrorism is on the decline in much of the Muslim world, and this is particularly true in Pakistan. In 2004, 41% of Pakistani Muslims said that suicide bombing and other forms of violence against civilians were “often” or “sometimes justified” in order to defend Islam from its enemies, while only 35% felt that such attacks were never justified. In the spring of this year – just months before a suicide attacker would kill Bhutto – only 9% said suicide attacks are often or sometimes justified, while 72% said this kind of violence is never defensible (another 9% say they are “rarely” justified).
How Often Are Suicide  | Attacks Justified?  | 38  | 25  | 2002  | 2003  | 2004  | 2005  | 2006  | 2007  | Ofteniso metimes  | Never  | Asked only of Muslim respondents Chart does not  | show the "rarely justified" response category,  | which has varied between 5-1 8% since category, 2002 