The recent panel on Islam at our church stirred a lot of interest and conversation. Our church wants to give people a structured opportunity to continue to process the event and talk about it. On Tuesday, May 14th at 7 pm, we will meet in the Plymouth Room to do this. Those who attend are encouraged to read the facts, quotes, and questions found below. These will be used to inform and guide the discussion. However, reading these brief selections is not be a requirement for attending.
Facts to Consider
The following is an excerpt from an LA Times article entitled, “Muslim True/False: What You Think You Know about Them Is Likely Wrong—and That’s Dangerous.” It is written by John Esposito and Dalia Mogahed who coauthored a book called Who Speaks for Islam? What a Billion Muslims Really Think.
Starting in 2001, the research firm Gallup embarked on the largest, most comprehensive survey of its kind, spending more than six years polling a population that represented more than 90% of the world’s 1.3 billion Muslims. The results showed plainly that much of the conventional wisdom about Muslims—views touted by U.S. policymakers and pundits and accepted by voters—is simply false.
For instance, Gallup found that 72% of Americans disagreed with this statement: “The majority of those living in Muslim countries thought men and women should have equal rights.” In fact, majorities in even some of the most conservative Muslim societies directly refute this assessment: 73% of Saudis, 89% of Iranians and 94% of Indonesians say that men and women should have equal legal rights. Majorities of Muslim men and women in dozens of countries around the world also believe that a woman should have the right to work outside the home at any job for which she is qualified (88% in Indonesia, 72% in Egypt and even 78% in Saudi Arabia), and to vote without interference from family members (87% in Indonesia, 91% in Egypt, 98% in Lebanon).
What about Muslim sympathy for terrorism? Many charge that Islam encourages violence more than other faiths, but studies show that Muslims around the world are at least as likely as Americans to condemn attacks on civilians. Polls show that 6% of the American public thinks attacks in which civilians are targets are “completely justified.” In Saudi Arabia, this figure is 4%. In Lebanon and Iran, it’s 2%.
Moreover, it’s politics, not piety, that drives the small minority — just 7% — of Muslims to anti-Americanism at the level of condoning the attacks of 9/11. Looking across majority-Muslim countries, Gallup found no statistical difference in self-reported religiosity between those who sympathized with the attackers and those who did not. When respondents in select countries were asked in an open-ended question to explain their views of 9/11, those who condemned it cited humanitarian as well as religious reasons. For example, 20% of Kuwaitis who called the attacks “completely unjustified” explained this position by saying that terrorism was against the teachings of Islam. A respondent in Indonesia went so far as to quote a direct verse from the Koran prohibiting killing innocents. On the other hand, not a single respondent who condoned the attacks used the Koran as justification. Instead, they relied on political rationalizations, calling the U.S. an imperialist power or accusing it of wanting to control the world.
If most Muslims truly reject terrorism, why does it continue to flourish in Muslim lands? What these results indicate is that terrorism is much like other violent crime. Violent crimes occur throughout U.S. cities, but that is no indication of Americans’ general acceptance of murder or assault. Likewise, continued terrorist violence is not proof that Muslims tolerate it. Indeed, they are its primary victims.
Still, the typical American cannot be blamed for these misperceptions. Media-content analyses show that the majority of U.S. TV news coverage of Islam is sharply negative. Americans are bombarded every day with news stories about Muslims and majority-Muslim countries in which vocal extremists, not evidence, drive perceptions.
______________________________________________________________________
Esposito and Mogahed’s book contains these facts as well that are based on the Gallup polls:
Admiration of the West: What Muslms around the world say they admire most about the West is its technology and its democracy—the same two top responses given by Americans when asked the same question.
Critique of the West: What Muslims around the world say they least admire about the West is its perceived moral decay and breakdown of traditional values—the same responses given by American when posed the same question.
R.E.S.P.E.C.T.: Muslims around the world say that the one thing the West can do to improve relations with their societies is to moderate their views toward Muslims and respect Islam.
______________________________________________________________________
In an article for the Huffington Post entitled, “Progressive Muslims Launch Gay-Friendly, Women-Led Mosques in Attempt to Reform American Islam,” Jaweed Kaleem reports the results of a survey of over a thousand American Muslims by saying, “A majority of Muslims surveyed think the religion is flexible, with only about a third saying there is but one true way to interpret it.”
Other Thoughts and Questions for Reflection
In what ways are Christianity and Islam similar? Scriptures from both religions emphasize love of neighbor and love of God. Both religions have a tremendous amount of diversity within them that ranges from scriptural literalism and dogmatism to an openness to mystery and the validity of other faiths as windows to the divine. Both religions have traditions that oppress women, and both have traditions that promote equality. Both religions have traditions that condemn homosexuality, and both have traditions that embrace and affirm gay and lesbian persons. Both religions have those who do not condone certain forms and uses of music. Can you think of other similarities?
Books and Articles
Popular books on Islam include Karen Armstrong’s Islam: A Short History and various books by John Esposito such as What Everyone Needs to Know about Islam. Do you have books or articles that you would recommend?