Source/Credit: Khaleej Times
By KT | December 1, 2010
Survey between 2006 and 2010 across 55 countries show 58% in UAE believe interaction with West beneficial
The majority of Muslim societies around the world believe that West-Muslim relationships can be strengthened with mutual religious respect, enhanced interaction and greater importance to the political and regional policies in the Middle East and North Africa.
According to a Abu Dhabi Gallup Centre's study, 70 per cent of the Muslim public said refraining from desecrating the Holy Quran and other religious symbols would be very meaningful in showing respect.
The study, titled `Measuring the State of Muslim-West Relations: Assessing the New Beginning', showed 58 per cent of the people in the UAE believe that Muslim-West interactions are beneficial and 22 per cent view it as a threat, whereas an average of 59 per cent globally see it as beneficial, 21 per cent as a threat and 20 per cent say they do not know.
In the US, 76 per cent of individuals say greater interaction is beneficial, 21 per cent view it as a threat, and three per cent say they do not know.
In Iran, 63 per cent of the public say greater contact is beneficial, 19 per cent view it as a threat, and 18 per cent say they do not know, the study said.
The study is based on data collected between 2006 and 2010 across 55 countries or areas. Gallup conducted interviews with 123,288 people aged 15 and older in face-to-face and telephone interviews.
The centre officially unveiled the report on Sunday at Emirates Palace. This was the first major report to come out from the centre, which was developed in partnership between the Crown Prince's Court of Abu Dhabi and Gallup, the world's leading public opinion research firm.
Europe and MENA residents are the most likely to view political differences as the cause of Muslim-West tensions -an average 40 per cent in both regions, the study said.
More specifically, 74 per cent of individuals in Lebanon view political differences as the cause of Muslim-West tensions, 58 per cent in Iran, 53 per cent in Syria, and 52 per cent in Palestinian Territories.
The meaningful demonstrations of Western respect for Muslims had both a religious and a political dimension.
According to the study, more than 70 per cent of the Muslim public said refraining from desecrating the Holy Quran and other religious symbols would be very meaningful in showing respect, and 54 per cent said the same about treating Muslims fairly in the policies that affected them.
Residents of majority Muslim countries in Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, and MENA remain sceptical about Western respect and concern for better relations with Muslims, though many continued to say the relationship concerns them.
While those living in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa were generally more positive about the relationship than Middle Easterners; they also assigned the relationship less importance than those in MENA, the study said.
Since 2008, the Muslim-West relationships under the Barack Obama administration have improved as majority of Muslim societies approve it, according to a recent study of Abu Dhabi Gallup Centre. But this leadership today resembles that of 2008 after an initial upturn in Middle Eastern public opinion in 2009.
For the first time in the US history, President Obama addressed Muslims directly during his inaugural address when he said, "To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect".
This statement set off a series of over tures toward majority Muslim societies aimed at positive engagement with local populations, the study quoted.
According to the study, despite taking back initial gains in public sentiment, the majority in all regions studied believe Muslim and Western communities can avoid conflict. These include 69 per cent in Europe, 61 per cent in Asia, and roughly 55 per cent in both the Middle East and in the United States and Canada.
The optimism for avoiding conflict is especially prevalent among those who believe tension between Muslim and Western societies result more from differences in political interests rather than religion.
For example, in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), 37 per cent of those who say Western and Muslim communities can avoid conflict assign religion as the root cause of tensions.
This compares to 51 per cent who cite religion as the cause of tensions among those who say the two sides cannot avoid clashing.
-- @Shahid Parvez
Read original post here: Respect for religions can boost West-Muslim ties
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