'West should not rely on Muslim stereotypes'

Dubai: It is time to democratise the debate on relations between the West and Islam instead of relying on stereotypes and unscientific data, said the authors of an analysis of the biggest-of-its-kind survey of Muslim public opinion.

Islam expert Dr John Esposito and US president Barack Obama's recently appointed advisor on religious affairs Dalia Mogahed discussed the findings of a Gallup survey of the Muslim world at the Dubai School of Government on Tuesday.

Entitled Who Speaks for Islam, What a Billion Muslims Really Think, the book claims to speak for the "silenced majority" of mainstream Muslims around the world, revealing details about Muslim opinions of democracy, religion, women's rights and the West.

Mogahed, who directs the Gallup Centre for Muslim Studies, displayed some of the findings of the survey, which showed Muslim public opinion to be close to American public opinion on issues such as terrorism, democracy and the desire for freedom and liberty.

According to the survey, the closeness of views between Americans and Muslims found that two aspects of Western culture that Muslims valued most were technology followed by liberty. Americans responding to the same question chose liberty before technology.

The survey revealed that Muslims around the world strongly favour freedom of expression and accountability in governance but are concerned about political dominance from the West.

Dr Esposito told Gulf News that while the findings of the survey did not surprise him, he hoped that they would benefit decision makers in the West. “These findings in fact corroborate what I have been saying,'' he said.

The book, he added, has reached its target audience. When he presented the book to Obama in Istanbul a few months ago, Esposito said that the president reacted favourably, telling him he would make sure to read it.

Key issues:

Women's rights:

- 78% of Muslims support equal legal rights for men and women
- 88% support women's right to vote without family interference
- 82% support women's right to have a job they are qualified for