93% World’s Muslims Moderates (Gallup Poll): Didn’t Believe Us First Time ‘Round?

In Case You Didn’t Believe Us the First Time ‘Round

I dunno about you, but I’m getting bored of all these “revelations” that the majority of Muslims condemn terrorism, are not “radical,” believe in democracy (or at least, don’t mind it), and all that jazz.

Anyway, in case you don’t believe Muslims telling you that most Muslims don’t condone terrorism, aren’t radical, believe in democracy, etc. maybe you’ll believe the Gallup poll telling you that most Muslims don’t condone terrorism, aren’t radical, believe in democracy, etc.

The Great Gallup informs us that:

• 93% of the Muslim population is “moderate.”
• Only 7% of the Muslim population is “radical.”
• Being a religious Muslim doesn’t make you a radical.
• “Radicals” are politically extreme, not necessarily religiously extreme; and give political reasons, not religious reasons, for condoning terrorism.
• “Radicals” are better educated, have better jobs, and are more hopeful about the future than are “moderates”; they also support democracy/ believe in democracy more than the “moderates” do, but are just cynical about getting it themselves.
• Muslims don’t want secularism or theocracy, but a democracy based on religious values.
• Muslims don’t hate the West, they just don’t want Western ways imposed on them.

The most amazing thing is that it took them 6 years of interviewing approximately 95% of the world’s Muslim population to discover what we’ve been saying all along. It’s nice to see that people pay attention to us… NOT!

Anyway, these are basically the main points that the poll reveals, “challenging Western stereotypes of Islam and Muslims.” Personally, I consider the poll to be as useful as Captain Obvious, but whatever. If people choose to listen to another survey instead of what we’ve been saying all along, then fine. Whatever will help people get over their misconceptions about us is worth having around, I guess.

Since I’m supposed to pretend that I’m a political analyst for now, it’s time I get all politically analytical… so here goes.

The first three points aren’t really worth commenting on, since we’ve only been saying it since forever; although as I said, since nobody seems to ever believe us, maybe they’ll believe the Gallup poll. I am, however, quite interested in the second half of the findings – they may not be new to me, but they probably are for the majority of the non-Muslim audience.

If nothing else, the survey creates a new definition for “radicalism,” distinctly different from the one we’ve gotten used to hearing from the media. Rather than defining radicalism or extremism as something linked to religiosity (e.g. a practicing/ conservative Muslim is usually eyed askance and suspected of being ‘radical’), Gallup points out that it’s far more political. Religious reasons are rarely, if ever, given when support for terrorism or terrorist acts are being explained; political views, particularly resentment against America and its disastrous foreign affairs legacy, are what most people use to justify or understand (if not totally approve) the motivations of the terrorists.

The main character in “The Reluctant Fundamentalist” (by Mohsin Hamed) comes to mind as I think about it – Changez is a young Pakistani man, Muslim in name alone, who goes to New York and lives it up… yet about 9/11, he says: “…I smiled. Yes, despicable as it may sound, my initial reaction was to be remarkably pleased… I was caught up in the symbolism of it all, the fact that someone had so visibly brought America to her knees…”

Perhaps not a real-life example of what Gallup is trying to tell the West, but an example nonetheless.

The survey shatters another stereotype: say “radical Muslim” and most people immediately start thinking of a swarthy, bearded, robed guy with his face scarily contorted as he screams out “Death to America!” or (to those less gender-discriminatory) of a niqaabi waving a burning flag. Yet the poll tells us that “radical Muslims” are more likely to be highly educated and have better jobs – basically, professionals!

This different look at what radicalism is and who it affects should lead us to thinking about why it exists in the first place. Instead of settling on simplistic and grossly incorrect explanations such as “they hate democracy” and “they hate our freedom,” those who are truly concerned about the socio-political climate that exists today must realize that there are many shades of grey and there’s no black-and-white when it comes to who’s right and who’s wrong. It’s not about some comic-book-like secret organization suddenly deciding to take over the world, as Islamophobes are constantly claiming is the goal of “Islamists”; rather it’s a much more complex situation with deep roots in the past and constantly experiencing “plot twists” as the political situation becomes more extreme.

Furthermore, it also goes to show that “radical Muslims” do not hate democracy or freedoms, as Bush has (in)famously claimed: it’s quite the opposite! Most Muslims, not just the so-called radicals, agree with the concept of democracy… however, what we do disagree with is the idea that America seems to have, that whatever they do and say is what everybody else should be doing also. In fact, if America truly believed in freedom, then it would give the rest of us the freedom to believe in a society different from America’s; in a way of life different from America’s; in a political system different from America’s.

In recent debates about Shari’ah in the West, many non-Muslims argue that they don’t want Shari’ah imposed on them – now, is it so difficult for them to realize that Muslims don’t want Western ways imposed on us? We’re not telling non-Muslim women to start wearing hijaab, so why do they insist on telling us to stop wearing hijaab (perhaps not in so many words, but that’s the basic message)? It’s attitudes like this, on a societal level and a political level, which so many Muslims disagree with – yet the West must realize that just because we disagree with you, doesn’t mean we hate you and are out to destroy you.

In conclusion, I hope that this poll’s findings cause people to think more deeply about the issue of Muslims and “radicalism,” and to explore the many nuances of the socio-political issues related to Muslims and Islam in the West. Hopefully, this will foster tolerance and understanding of different points of view, which are sorely needed in a time when people are quick to label things as black-and-white and refuse to agree to disagree.