New Poll Shows Naivete in Canada: 31 Percent Blame Israel for 9/11 Attacks

According to a poll by the Montreal-based Association for Canadian Studies (ACS), 38 percent of Quebecers think 9/11 was at least partly the result of Israel’s actions in the Middle East, the highest of any region of Canada. Overall, 31 percent of all Canadians hold the same opinion. When Quebec responses are deducted from the national total, about 27 percent of the rest of Canada think Israel's actions in the Middle East were a "primary cause" of 9/11.

In addition, the great majority of Quebecers, more than three-quarters – well above the Canadian average of 63 percent – believe the 9/11 attacks were also at least in part caused by U.S. foreign policy. An equal proportion of Quebecers and Canadians as a whole, about two-thirds, said a primary cause of 9/11 was a reaction of Islamic fundamentalism against the West.

"I was astonished by the results," said ACS director Jack Jedwab. "I knew there was a lot of naivete out there, but not this much."

Quebecers also think relations between Jews and Christians and between Jews and Muslims in Canada have deteriorated since the war in Lebanon. There was no change in attitudes to Muslims, who are viewed in a positive light by just over half of those polled. Sixty-nine percent of Quebecers have a positive opinion of Jews, down five percent from a similar survey taken July 11 to 16, when the war was just beginning. Jews are most highly regarded by the young, ages 18 to 24 (81 percent), and those whose annual household income is between $40,000 and $60,000 (76 percent). The groups with the least favorable opinion of Jews are between the ages of 55 and 64 (56 percent).