A mosque in Brunei
(Wikimedia CC; click to enlarge)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
Many people in the West quite confidently discuss\u00a0Muslim attitudes on the basis of no\u00a0real acquaintance with either the Islamic world or actual Muslims.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
So I\u2019m going to recommend a book:<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Several years ago, the Gallup organization undertook an enormous, multi-country survey of the Islamic world, the largest ever done. \u00a0The results of that survey are reported and discussed in John L. Esposito and Dalia Mogahed, Who Speaks for Islam? What a Billion Muslims Really Think\u00a0<\/em>(2007).<\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
It\u2019s an excellent resource, and an easy read, for those who actually want to understand the contemporary Muslim world. \u00a0 Permit me to tempt you with a few items drawn from just two pages (182-183) of the book:<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
* Gallup found no statistically significant difference between the attitudes of men and women toward shari\u2018a<\/em> or religious law.<\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
* \u00a0No significant difference could be detected in levels of personal piety between the majority, who condemn terrorism, and the fringe minority who endorse it. \u00a0This plainly suggests that it isn\u2019t Islam, as such, that generates terrorism.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
* \u00a0Those who approve of terrorism admire Western freedom as much as the moderate majority do.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
* \u00a0Admirers of democracy in the Muslim world tend to be both better educated and more religious<\/em> than those who don\u2019t admire democracy.<\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
* \u00a0Is poverty a key driver behind support for terrorism? \u00a0No.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
* \u00a0Is illiteracy a major factor behind positive attitudes toward terrorism? \u00a0No.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
* \u00a0Is hopelessness a prime generator of support for terrorism? No.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
* \u00a0Is religious fanaticism a principal stimulus to\u00a0endorsement of terrorism? \u00a0No.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
* \u00a0The proportion of those in the population of the Muslim world who are comfortable with attacks aimed at civilians was in the single digits in almost all countries surveyed\u00a0\u2014 and was essentially the same proportion that\u00a0survey data indicate for the population of the United States.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Those who are fond of their prejudices and stereotypes and who wish to retain them should avoid this book like the plague.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u00a0 \u00a0 Many people in the West quite confidently discuss\u00a0Muslim attitudes on the basis of no\u00a0real acquaintance with either the Islamic world or actual Muslims. \u00a0 So I\u2019m going to recommend a book: \u00a0 Several years ago, the Gallup organization undertook an enormous, multi-country survey of the Islamic world, the largest ever done. \u00a0The results […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1019,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28739","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n
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![\"Brunei](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/186\/2015\/12\/Mosque_bsb_brunei.jpg\")
<\/a>