Egyptians want more Islam in politics: Poll

[ajtr]

Egyptians want more Islam in politics: Poll​

PARIS: Egyptians want Islam to play a large role in politics, reject radical Islam and think democracy is the best political system, according to poll data collected in Muslim countries last year.
The data, published by the US based Pew Research Center in December, gives an idea of Egyptian public opinion before the current protests there broke out.
Collected in April and May of last year for Pew’s Global Attitudes Project, the report described Muslim attitudes about religion in politics in seven countries — Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Lebanon, Nigeria, Pakistan and Turkey.
A sample group of 1,000 was surveyed in face-to-face interviews. Here are the data for Egyptian responses:
On Islam in politics
Is it good that Islam plays a large role in politics? 95 per cent said “yes” and 2 per cent “bad.”

Is Islam’s influence in politics positive or negative? 85 per cent said “positive,” 2 per cent said “negative.”

How much of a role does Islam play in Egyptian politics now? 48 per cent said “large” and 49 per cent said “small.”

Is there a struggle between groups that want to modernize Egypt and Islamic fundamentalists? 31 per cent said “yes.” Of them, 27 per cent described themselves as modernisers and 59 per cent called themselves fundamentalists.

On Islamic extremism
Are suicide bombings justified? 46 per cent said “never,” 34 per cent “rarely,” 12 per cent “sometimes” and 8 per cent “often.” (NOTE: Support for suicide bombing has dropped since 2006, when 28 per cent said they were justified sometimes or often.)

Are you concerned about Islamic extremism in the world? 70 per cent said they were “very concerned” or “concerned.”

Are you concerned about Islamic extremism in Egypt? 61 per cent said they were “very concerned” or “concerned.”

On Foreign Islamic movements
What do you think of Hamas? 49 per cent were favourable.

What do you think of Hezbollah? 30 per cent were favourable.

What do you think of al Qaeda? 20 per cent were favourable.

Do you have confidence in Osama bin Laden? 19 per cent said “some” or “a lot,” 73 per cent said “not much” or “none.” (NOTE: Confidence in bin Laden has fallen from 27 per cent in 2006).

On traditional Muslim practices
Should men and women be segregated in the workplace? 54 per cent said “yes” and 44 per cent “no.”

Should adulterers be stoned? 82 per cent said “yes.”

Should apostates from Islam face the death penalty? 84 per cent said “yes.”

Should thieves be flogged or have their hands cut off? 77 per cent said “yes.”

On democracy
Is democracy preferable to any other kind of government? 59 per cent said “yes.”

Can a non-democratic system be preferrable in certain circumstances? 22 per cent said “yes.”

Is it irrelevant to you what kind of government you have? 16 per cent said “yes.”


The report can be read on Pew Research Center’s website here.

 

[ajtr]

Egypt, Democracy and Islam​

by Richard Auxier, Researcher/Editorial Assistant, Pew Research Center
January 31, 2011


With massive protests threatening to upend the three-decades-long reign of President Hosni Mubarak, the world has been captivated by the events in Egypt. In a survey conducted April 12 to May 7, 2010, the Pew Research Center's Global Attitudes Project examined the views of Egypt and six other Muslim publics about politics and the role Islam should play in it.

A 59%-majority of Muslims in Egypt believed that democracy was preferable to any other kind of government. About one-in-five (22%), however, said that in some circumstances, a non-democratic government could be preferable, and another 16% said it did not matter what kind of government is in place for a person in their situation.

Support for democracy was much higher among Muslims in Lebanon, where 81% preferred it to any other kind of government, and in Turkey, where 76% of Muslims supported it. Roughly two-thirds of Muslims also preferred democracy to any other kind of government in Jordan (69%), Nigeria (66%) and Indonesia (65%). Among the Muslim publics surveyed, only in Pakistan (42%) did fewer Muslims say democracy was preferable to any other kind of government than in Egypt.

Egyptians were split on how big a role Islam played in the political life of their country. Among Muslims in Egypt, 48% said Islam played a large role in their nation's political life while a nearly equal 49% said it played only a small role.
 
Divisions about the perception of Islam's role in politics were also seen in Lebanon and Pakistan.

In contrast, Muslims in Indonesia, Nigeria and Turkey overwhelmingly agreed that Islam played a large role in their politics.

By wide margins, Muslims surveyed in the spring of 2010 believed that Islam's influence in politics was positive rather than negative. In Egypt, Islam's role in politics was seen favorably by an overwhelming 85%-to-2% margin among Muslims.

Islam was seen as a positive rather than negative influence in politics by equally impressive margins in Indonesia (91% to 6%), Nigeria (82% to 10%), Jordan (76% to 14%) and Pakistan (69% to 6%).

In Lebanon and Turkey, close to a third said that Islam had a negative influence in politics, but in both nations more believed Islam's influence was positive than said it was negative.

Respondents who had a positive view of Islam's influence included both those who said Islam was playing a large role in their country's political life and saw this as a good thing and those who said Islam was playing a small role and saw this as a bad thing. The reverse was true for those respondents who had a negative view of Islam's influence.

Asked whether there is a struggle in their nations between those who want to modernize their country and Islamic fundamentalists, a 61%-majority of Muslims in Egypt said they did not see a struggle. Just 31% of Egyptian Muslims saw a struggle between modernizers and fundamentialists in their country. Among the seven Muslim publics surveyed in 2010, only in Jordan (20%) did fewer say they saw such a struggle.

Among Egyptian Muslims who did see a struggle, a 59%-majority sided with the fundamentalists. Just 27% of those who saw such struggle sided with the modernizers.

This stands in sharp contrast with four other Muslim publics surveyed. Many more Muslims in Lebanon, Turkey, Pakistan and Indonesia than in Egypt said they saw a struggle between modernizers and fundamentalists in their country.

In each of these nations, though, a majority of those seeing a conflict sided with the modernizers. Nigeria was the only other country surveyed in which a majority of Muslims who saw such a conflict identified with the fundamentalists.

Concerns about Islamic extremism -- both in their country and around the world -- were widespread in Egypt. About six-in-ten Egyptians were very (20%) or somewhat (41%) concerned about the rise of Islamic extremism in their country.

By comparison, at least three-quarters in Lebanon (80%) and Nigeria (76%) were concerned about Islamic extremism in their nation, while less than half expressed such concern in Jordan (44%) and Turkey (43%).

Asked about extremism around the world, 30% of Egyptians were very concerned about Islamic extremism and 40% were somewhat concerned.

Large majorities in five of the other Muslim publics surveyed also expressed concern about Islamic extremism around the world. Only in Turkey did a majority not express concern.

 

[Spring Onion]

here we go. perfect time to mislead the world.

 

[ephone]

Another secular country will become religious one???

In modern world, has anyone seen a country mixing religion and state together to have a better development?

 

[Super Falcon]

Agreed and i support every single egyptian common people becoz this 30 years ol dictator was making image of egypt bad in our eyes tooo and believe me one reason i dont likes egypt becoz mubarak

 

[mikkix]

I dont think egyptians want More Islam.
What their forces did to Palestines they dont care.
No america bashing including israel is going there.
Love their army, (Egypt army is american puppet).

 

[Abu Zolfiqar]

you're pretty naiive if you think Egypt would be better off with the Brotherhood.....

though whatever happens, it should be a result that favours Egypt and its people

this type of ''revolution'' in certain countries of the Arab world was inevitable; if not today, if not tomorrow, it was inevitable day after tomorrow. It just so happened that food prices and rising cost of living got so inexorable amongst the common man.

people in Pakistan are a bit more passive and patient I guess; since we are also having similar if not worse problems....it may not be felt as much by people here on this forum, but its being felt every second among the down-trodden.


surely our dear dear leaders are watching the news nervously

 

[Jigs]

@mikkix Idk about every protest i have watched on youtube had the crowds chanting Allahu Akbar. So i think there is a large base of anti Mubarak Egyptians that support a Islamic government. The polls also support this.

I hope secularism is preserved in Egypt as a change in government comes. No one wants another Mullah run Iran to pop up in the region.

 

[ovarel]

im sure they dont want to become like iran but they would love to have more islamist policy.

 

[Jigs]

im sure they dont want to become like iran but they would love to have more islamist policy.

There is no example of a nation that became progressive by integrating Islamic policy. If Egyptians feel that is progressive they are in for a rude awakening when it happens.

 

[ovarel]

There is no example of a nation that became progressive by integrating Islamic policy. If Egyptians feel that is progressive they are in for a rude awakening when it happens.

Turkiye is the biggest example

 

[Jigs]

Turkiye is the biggest example

Turkey has islam in politics ? Huh ? Your not making sense here.

 

[ovarel]

Turkey has islam in politics ? Huh ? Your not make sense here.

yes we have dont you know that?

 

[Desert Fox]

im sure they dont want to become like iran but they would love to have more islamist policy.

maybe they want a party like Turkey's AKP

 

[Jigs]

yes we have dont you know that?

I see your clueless and now your trolling. emoticon spamming isn't a valid form of argument just so you know.