# What percentage of Muslims can accurately be labeled "militant"?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percentage-of-muslims-can-accurately-be-labeled-militant/86418>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [October 9, 2001, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percentage-of-muslims-can-accurately-be-labeled-militant/86418 "2001-10-09T21:51:19Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Tinker\_Grey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tinker_grey/32/8136_2.png) [@Tinker\_Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tinker_Grey)\
**Post date:** [October 9, 2001, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percentage-of-muslims-can-accurately-be-labeled-militant/86418/1 "2001-10-09T21:51:19Z")

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This article, [http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE\_ID=24851](http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=24851) suggests the number is 10% to 20%.

I rather suspect that this number derives from the percentage of muslims that are Shi’a (I believe this the sect to which the Taliban belong.) [This site](http://wrc.lingnet.org/islamq.htm), which appears to be maintained by Muslims, has as the answer to a quiz question that 15% of Muslims are Shi’a.

I am guessing that it is unfair to impugn the entire sect. Does anyone know of any polls that assess political attitudes of Muslims?

Thanks,

Tinker

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**Author:** ![Saxman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f6c823/32.png) [@Saxman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saxman)\
**Post date:** [October 9, 2001, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percentage-of-muslims-can-accurately-be-labeled-militant/86418/2 "2001-10-09T22:34:47Z")

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Actually, the Taliban are very much **not** Shi’a. That is why Iran, a majority Shi’a country, is no friend to the Taliban (in fact, we were courting Iran’s support for our coalition), despite the surface similarities that they share under the umbrella label of “fundamentalist”.

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**Author:** ![Tinker\_Grey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tinker_grey/32/8136_2.png) [@Tinker\_Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tinker_Grey)\
**Post date:** [October 10, 2001, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percentage-of-muslims-can-accurately-be-labeled-militant/86418/3 "2001-10-10T13:56:04Z")

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Thanx Saxman.

A Muslim friend of mine also pointed out the error. The Taliban is apparently a member the sect Wahabi, which is a fundmentalist branch of Sunni.

Correct?

Tinker