Muslims Widely Seen As Facing Discrimination
Nearly six-in-ten say Muslims are subject to a lot of discrimination, far more than say the same about Jews, evangelical Christians, atheists or Mormons. A new survey also finds the public is more likely to see differences rather than similarities between their own religion and every other religion tested, with the sole exception of Protestantism.
Obamamania Misses Most Muslim Countries
America’s image is on the rebound throughout much of the world, driven in large part by positive reactions to the new U.S. president. Still, a new Pew Global Attitudes Project survey finds that the Muslim world remains largely immune to Obamamania.
Global Public Opinion in the Bush Years (2001-2008)
President-elect Obama has indicated that he will focus on international cooperation in addressing global problems, but he will have to navigate a world that has grown highly critical of the United States.
After Bush, Islam’s Real Challenge
Scholar Vali Nasr argues that the 2003 invasion of Iraq has fundamentally shifted the region’s balance of power and that the most important conflicts of the Middle East now revolve around the Shia/Sunni sectarian divide.
Unfavorable Views of Both Jews and Muslims Increase in Europe
Publics that view Jews unfavorably also tend to see Muslims in a negative light. However, the trend in negative views toward Muslims in Europe has occurred over a longer period of time than recently growing anti-Semitic sentiment.
All the World’s a Stage
Iraq, the war on terrorism, support for Israel and other key features of U.S. foreign policy continue to generate animosity toward America in the Middle East, Asia and elsewhere. On the bright side, America seems to be winning the battle of ideas on some important fronts and improving U.S. image problems is not impossible.
Karen Hughes’ Uphill Battle
Despite the efforts of the undersecretary of state for public diplomacy and public affairs, America’s image problems endure as foreign policy, not public diplomacy, is the major determinant of how the world views America.
Widespread Negativity: Muslims Distrust Westerners More than Vice Versa
Muslims and non-Muslims associate a wide array of negative characteristics with one another. But there is generally more antagonism in Muslim countries toward the West than vice versa.
Turkey and Its (Many) Discontents
Turkey is a key strategic U.S. ally but negative views of America are widespread and growing there. Turks also have low opinions of many other nations and groups.
In Search of a Way Out: Rethinking the Arab-Israeli Conflict
In an interview with the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, Palestinian scholar Sari Nusseibeh discusses ways in which a settlement could help resolve the larger tensions between Islam and other faiths.
