Sharia Law

In a recent article in The Economist, a new study by the Pew Research Center reported on the different meaning that sharia law has in different countries. Sharia law is the moral code and religious law of Islam. The survey of 38,000 Muslims conducted in 39 countries examined the opinions that Muslims in predominately Islamic nations expressed on a number of issues related to sharia law, such as religious freedom, the use of religious judges, and the execution of those who leave Islam.

In Morocco 78% of respondents think that non-Muslims are free to practice their faith and 79% of those think this is “a good thing.” Yet 83% of this group wants sharia enshrined in their nation’s law. A majority of Thais (77%) and Pakistanis (84%) yearn for Islamic law too. But most also say that other religions are free to worship (79% and 75% respectively) and they agree that this is “a good thing.” Religious freedom, however, is a slippery term, with implications for individuals and for the collective practice of faith. Muslims in some countries both strongly approve of religious freedom and support the death penalty for apostates from Islam. Three-quarters of Pakistanis who favor sharia agree.  

Views vary over how sharia should be applied. Tunisian backers when asked about specific features of sharia law, support the use of religious judges (62%), but have far less appetite for executing apostates (29%). And those countries where most support sharia are not always its strictest followers, though around three-quarters endorse it in both Indonesia and Egypt. And 74% of Egyptians who favor sharia also think it should apply to non-Muslims, the highest proportion among polled countries. To read the full report, please visit The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life.

Majority of Muslims in Middle East Hold Unfavorable View of al Qaeda

On April 30^th, the Pew Research Center reported on Muslim support throughout the Middle East for al Qaeda.  Overwhelmingly, Muslims are unsupportive of al Qaeda.  The survey covered the nations of Egypt, Jordan, Pakistan, Turkey, and Lebanon; within these countries, 71%, 77%, 55%, 73%, and 98% hold unfavorable views towards al Qaeda, respectively.  The survey also investigated the trends in confidence for Osama bin Laden.  From 2003 to 2011, Muslim support of Osama bin Laden in every single nation surveyed dropped; however, from 2010 to 2011, only one nation – Jordan – saw Muslims’ confidence of bin Laden fall (one percentage point change).

Gallup: bin Laden Raid Increases Unpopularity of U.S. in Pakistan

Gallup polling of Pakistanis, conducted May 9-12, shows that the bin Laden raid has added to already largely negative views of the United States. Among Pakistanis who said they were aware of the U.S. raid, 64% claimed the action made them have a more negative view of the U.S., as compared with only 5% who said it made them have a more positive view.

Since Gallup began polling in Pakistan, views of U.S. leadership have never been positive, and although the 10% who approved of U.S. leadership was down from 18% in 2010, the change was not significantly different from polling results in 2008 and 2009. But disapproval of U.S. leadership has soared to 85%, a record and far higher than the 68% who said they disapproved in 2010--or the 60% who said so in 2008 and 2009.
The general disapproval among Pakistanis regarding U.S. leadership is clear from Pakistanis' expectations for future U.S. decisions: few believe that the U.S. will take what they believe to be the correct action--in this case, withdrawal of its troops from Afghanistan. A large majority of those (79%) aware of the U.S. action to kill bin Laden believes the U.S. should withdraw its troops from Afghanistan now that bin Laden is dead, but only 57% think the U.S. actually will withdraw its forces. As a comparison, 36% of Americans believe that there is still important work to be done in Afghanistan and U.S. troops should be maintained there.Clearly, the poll suggests that diplomatic relations between the United States and Pakistan will not be easy moving forward. Gallup writes that the polling data "reinforce[s] the significant diplomatic challenges that lie ahead for both countries."

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