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.

Global Views of Muslims, Christians and Jews

A recent study conducted by Pew Research Center surveyed populations on their views of Muslims, Christians and Jews in 14 different countries. As the chart (right) indicates, in four of the six predominately Christian countries included in the study (the US, Britain, France and Russia), a majority of the population said they viewed Muslims favorably. Spain and Germany were the two exceptions, with 37% and 45% respectively having favorable opinions of Muslims. Western views of Jews were largely favorable in these countries ranging from 59% favorable in Spain to 84% favorable in France. While Muslim views of Christians varied widely, they were generally less favorable than Western views of Muslims. A majority of those surveyed in Turkey, Pakistan and Egypt did not view Christians favorably while only a narrow majority in Indonesia (52%) and Jordan (57%) viewed Christians favorably. Lebanon, which has a substantial Christian population, was the exception to this trend with 98% of those surveyed having favorable views of Christians. Those surveyed in predominately Muslim countries had significantly less favorable views of Jews than they did of Christians, with less than 10% having favorable views of Jews in each of the countries. Of those surveyed in Israel, 19% had favorable views of Muslims, 54% had favorable views of Christians, and 88% had favorable views of Jews.



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Decline in Muslim Support for Osama Bin Laden Preceding Death

As discussed in a recent Economist article, poll results from the Pew Research Center suggest that support for Osama Bin Laden had been waning in Muslim countries throughout the years leading up to the leader's death. While 70% of respondents in Palestinian territories said they had confidence that Osama Bin Laden was "doing the right thing in world affairs" in a 2003 poll, only a third of those questioned responded this way in a poll conducted just before the leader's death. A similar decline in support was also indicated in polls conducted in other Muslim countries. This article puts forward several explanations for this apparent decline in support, including Osama Bin Laden's lower profile in more recent years. The graph below charts the percent of respondents saying they had "a lot" or "some" confidence that Osama Bin Laden was doing "the right thing in world affairs" between 2003 and 2010. It includes poll results from Nigeria, Pakistan, Indonesia, Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon and Turkey in addition to Palestinian territories. As the graph shows, there was a clear decrease in the Palestinian territories and some Muslim nations, including Jordan. However, some countries, such as Nigeria and Egypt, show a less marked decrease in support.

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