Islam and the West: Annual Report on the State of Dialogue

Muslim-<strong>West</strong> Relations : Looking to <strong>the</strong> Future
Five of <strong>the</strong> survey questions asked respondents to look to
<strong>the</strong> future.
• Do you think <strong>the</strong> interaction between <strong>the</strong> Muslim world
<strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>West</strong>ern world is getting better or getting worse?
• Do you think <strong>the</strong> Muslim world is committed to improving
relations between <strong>the</strong> <strong>West</strong>ern <strong>and</strong> Muslim worlds?
• Do you think <strong>the</strong> <strong>West</strong>ern World is committed to improving
relations between <strong>the</strong> Muslim <strong>and</strong> <strong>West</strong>ern worlds?
• Is greater interaction between <strong>the</strong> <strong>West</strong>ern <strong>and</strong> Muslim
worlds a threat or benefit?
• Do you think violent conflict between <strong>the</strong> Muslim <strong>and</strong>
<strong>West</strong>ern worlds can be avoided or not?
In most cases, populations in which majorities believe <strong>the</strong>
<strong>West</strong> <strong>and</strong> Muslim worlds are not getting along also believe <strong>the</strong>
situation is getting worse. This is especially true in <strong>the</strong> United
States <strong>and</strong> Israel, where roughly three-quarters hold this
view. Americans’ perceptions that <strong>the</strong> conflict is worsening
are reflected in what <strong>the</strong>y most frequently say is <strong>the</strong> most
important problem facing <strong>the</strong>ir nation: <strong>the</strong> war in Iraq 15 .
In several countries, however, many respondents are not
sure which direction <strong>the</strong> conflict is evolving. One-fourth or
more of those in Sweden, Spain, Russia <strong>and</strong> Belgium say
<strong>the</strong>y do not know, roughly equal to <strong>the</strong> percentage who
believe <strong>the</strong> interaction is getting better. In Singapore, 41%
say <strong>the</strong>y do not know whe<strong>the</strong>r or not tensions are easing.
Again, majorities of Egyptians, Turks <strong>and</strong> Palestinians believe
interaction between <strong>the</strong> <strong>West</strong>ern <strong>and</strong> Muslim worlds is getting
worse. Bangladeshis are <strong>the</strong> most likely to be optimistic,
while Pakistanis are <strong>the</strong> most likely to say <strong>the</strong>y are unsure.
Iranians’ perceptions are particularly interesting in light of
heightening tensions between <strong>the</strong>ir nation <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> United
States over its nuclear programme <strong>and</strong> its alleged role in Iraq.
About 1 out of 3 Iranians believes that interaction between <strong>the</strong>
Muslim world <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>West</strong> is getting better, while a somewhat
higher percentage (40%) believe it is getting worse. These
results are similar to those from Indonesia, a country that is
not directly involved in any conflicts with <strong>West</strong>ern powers.
• Do you think <strong>the</strong> Muslim world is committed to improving
relations between <strong>the</strong> <strong>West</strong>ern <strong>and</strong> Muslim worlds?
An astonishing 76% of respondents in <strong>the</strong> United States think
that <strong>the</strong> Muslim world is not committed to improving relations
with <strong>the</strong> <strong>West</strong>, <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> same percentage of Palestinians think
that <strong>the</strong> <strong>West</strong>ern world is not committed to improving relations
with <strong>the</strong> Muslim world.
This dichotomy is illustrative of a debilitating perception on
both sides that any attempts by <strong>the</strong> “o<strong>the</strong>r” to engage in
dialogue or bridge <strong>the</strong> divide lack au<strong>the</strong>nticity.
Majorities in Italy (58%), Denmark (52%), <strong>and</strong> Spain (50%)
agree that <strong>the</strong> Muslim world is not committed to improvement.
Figure A.3
Palestine
USA
Israel
Egypt
Canada
Turkey
Italy
Denmark
Spain
Sweden
Ne<strong>the</strong>rl<strong>and</strong>s
Belgium
Malaysia
Russia
S. Arabia
Iran
Indonesia
Bangladesh
Singapore
Pakistan
15 Gallup Poll of American Households, 12 July 2007. http://www.galluppoll.com/content/?ci=1675&pg=1
Do you think <strong>the</strong> interaction between
<strong>the</strong> Muslim <strong>and</strong> <strong>West</strong>ern World is
getting better or worse?
Worse Better
0% 50% 100%
<strong>Islam</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>West</strong>: <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Report</strong> on <strong>the</strong> State of Dialogue Annex 1: Public Opinion on <strong>the</strong> State of Muslim-<strong>West</strong> Dialogue
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