Poll Results

By definition, most ordinary people never make the news. If we want to understand what a big group of ordinary people think about important issues, therefore, we can’t just listen to the tiny percentage of people who speak for TV cameras or get quoted in a newspaper — we need to go ask lots of people what they think. Poll results are always problematic, of course. What questions get asked, how they are asked, and of whom, always affect the results. But the following book is based on the first public opinion poll focused on Muslim people world-wide, and it’s well worth reading.

John Esposito and Dalia Mogahed, Who Speaks for Islam? What a Billion Muslims Really Think (2007). This important book is based on the results of a world-wide poll conducted by the Gallop Poll organization in 2003. It examines how Muslims around the world think about Islam, the United States, democracy and theocracy, women’s roles, sharia, radicalism, violence, the possibility of co-existence, and what they want for their countries and their lives. The vast majority of Muslims, the Gallop Poll organization found, admire certain aspects of the United States (unlike the 57% of Americans who told Gallop that they could find nothing to admire about Muslim societies). Most Muslims believe, however, that the United States has not lived up to its ideals in its dealings with the Muslim world, but instead has pursued its own national interests. 68% of respondents described the United States as “ruthless.” Only 7% of Muslims are radicals, as defined by believing that the 9/11 attacks were justified. The radicals are more educated and affluent than moderates, more dedicated towards democracy and more disapproving of the United States’ actions. They are not, however, more religious than moderates. For anyone who cares about having a fact-based understanding of what ordinary Muslims around the world think, believe, and value, this book is essential. For a related film that describes how the poll was conducted and briefly describes its results, see "Inside Islam: What a Billion Muslims Really Think,” by Unity Productions Foundation.