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

to lesser-known activities with excellent content <strong>and</strong>/or
significant impact at a local, regional, or national level.
In covering this terrain, this report aspires to be
representative but cannot be all-inclusive. It highlights
international as well as national <strong>and</strong> some local
organizations, programmes, <strong>and</strong> events that address
different issue areas <strong>and</strong> support divergent agendas.
Learn more about <strong>the</strong> activities mentioned in this report
<strong>and</strong> about many more that are not mentioned at:
http://islamwest.org.
Gallup Muslim-<strong>West</strong> Dialogue Index
The report draws upon an original survey provided by <strong>the</strong>
Gallup Organization that explores public popular perceptions
of <strong>the</strong> state of Muslim-<strong>West</strong> dialogue <strong>and</strong> its future prospects.
The Gallup Organization asked a series of questions of at
least 1,000 adults in each of <strong>the</strong> following countries:
Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Egypt,
Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Italy, Malaysia, Ne<strong>the</strong>rl<strong>and</strong>s, Pakistan,
<strong>the</strong> Palestinian Territories, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore,
Spain, Sweden, Turkey <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> United States. The responses
to <strong>the</strong> questions are elaborated in a summary section <strong>and</strong>
in a dedicated chapter. They serve as building blocks for
<strong>the</strong> Gallup Muslim-<strong>West</strong> Dialogue Index, a measure of
perceptions of <strong>the</strong> state of dialogue in 21 countries.
Media Tenor Content Analysis
Analysis conducted by Media Tenor International provides
an overview of media coverage of Muslim-<strong>West</strong> issues in
24 countries, half of <strong>the</strong>m Muslim-majority: Egypt, Indonesia,
Iran, Jordan, Lebanon, Malaysia, Morocco, Palestinian
Territories, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, United Arab
Emirates, Brazil, Denmark, France, Germany, Israel, Italy,
Namibia, Russia, South Africa, Spain, United Kingdom <strong>and</strong>
<strong>the</strong> United States.
The content analysis is based on a fifteen-week
examination of three TV news shows in mid-2007, three
print publications <strong>and</strong> one business publication from each
of <strong>the</strong> countries. Findings about <strong>the</strong> tone <strong>and</strong> salience of
media coverage are analysed across <strong>the</strong> five issue areas
considered by <strong>the</strong> report as a whole.
Short Essays
Short essays are interspersed across <strong>the</strong> five issue chapters.
Contributors include scholars, public officials <strong>and</strong> religious
leaders from across traditions, as well as thought leaders
from within <strong>the</strong> worlds of media, culture <strong>and</strong> business.
The essays provide specific examples of Muslim-<strong>West</strong>
dialogue – what works <strong>and</strong> what does not – <strong>and</strong> a range
of perspectives on <strong>the</strong> challenges now facing <strong>the</strong> <strong>West</strong>
<strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> Muslim world. Taken toge<strong>the</strong>r, <strong>the</strong>y represent a
wide range of voices <strong>and</strong> experiences, areas of agreement
<strong>and</strong> disagreement, <strong>and</strong> practical suggestions on how to
advance dialogue in practice.
“ The driving force behind all
initiatives has to be <strong>the</strong> belief
that actions really do speak
louder than words. Therefore,
<strong>the</strong> challenge to all joint
statements issued by religious
or political leaders will be <strong>the</strong>
question ‘So what?’” John L. Esposito
<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 Introduction
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