Recent Events

Highlights from presentations or discussions of Gallup's survey of Muslims and the West

The Power of Data to Tell What's on Muslims' Minds
February 29, 2008
by Magali Rheault

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Editorial partnerships are often fraught with friction, regardless of the topic. But when coauthors Dalia Mogahed and Dr. John Esposito came to the National Press Club earlier this week to discuss their recently released book, Who Speaks for Islam? What a Billion Muslims Really Think, their professional collaboration still showed strong signs of health.

Based on the largest-ever poll of Muslim opinion conducted by Gallup, the book is the culmination of a two-year endeavor, featuring data collected from about 40 predominantly Muslim countries. According to Jim Clifton, Gallup's CEO, who also attended Tuesday's breakfast event, the decision to poll Muslims around the world came about after Sept. 11, when former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld couldn't answer a reporter's question about Muslims' opinions because there was "no Gallup Poll" on the subject. In a town where so many pundits, experts, and policymakers earn their living advising leaders about the Middle East and Muslim world issues, Who Speaks for Islam? has the potential to reframe and nuance their views. On this issue, Dr. Esposito, professor of religion and international affairs at Georgetown University and a leading expert on Islam, said that the book doesn't reflect what a few experts think, but instead "it's the data [voices of Muslims] that lead the discourse." More...

Who Are the Politically Radicalized in the Muslim World?
February 18, 2008
by Magali Rheault

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, an urgency to understand the Muslim world has become more palpable. These days, Muslim-West discussions by Washington think tanks attract crowds. Last week's event at the Center for National Policy (CNP) was no exception. Despite the gloomy weather, more than 100 people from the public policy and intelligence communities gathered in a small room at the Center, just a few blocks from the U.S. Capitol, to hear how Muslims view the United States.

The series of suicide bombings in European capitals and other cities around the world have reinforced the image of deep-seated hatred toward the West. But attacks in cities such as Casablanca and Riyadh provide additional clues to help clarify the East-West debate. Tim Roemer, president of the Center for National Policy, introduced Dr. James Zogby and Dalia Mogahed, the event guest speakers, and moderated the event discussion. Both guest speakers agreed that it's not only the support from the West -- especially the United States -- in propping up unpopular governments in the region that is causing resentment among Muslims. They both say it's also because those governments cozy up to Washington and do little to improve conditions in their own countries. Dr. Zogby, the president of the Arab-American Institute, said that in the Arab world, people "know that extremism poses problems, but they feel that [the United States] fans the flames of extremism." Based on his work in the Arab world, Dr. Zogby reported that Arabs want peace and stability, but they also feel the United States must help end the conflicts that exist in the region. They want the United States to help them build their national capacity in terms of access to education and healthcare. More...

Reinventing Integration: Muslims in the West

The Executive Director of Gallup's Center for Muslim Studies, Dalia Mogahed, spoke at the Cambridge University conference, "Islam and Muslims in the World Today," held June 4-5, 2007. Focusing on the themes of religiosity, identity, and views of violence among Muslim populations, Mogahed discussed the findings of Gallup polling of these populations in three major European cities -- including a comparison of the views of Muslims in London and those in Paris. Read the complete text (PDF) of her speech.