Islam was the world’s fastest-growing religion from 2010 to 2020
From 2010 to 2020, the number of Muslims increased by 347 million people to 2.0 billion people.
Middle East & North Africa
How Americans View the Israel-Hamas Conflict 2 Years Into the War
About six-in-ten now say they have an unfavorable view of the Israeli government, with a rising share saying Israel is “going too far.”
Comparing Levels of Religious Nationalism Around the World
We asked people in three dozen countries how they see religion’s role in society, government and national identity.
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Iraq’s Unique Place in the Sunni-Shia Divide
An ongoing and intensifying conflict has fallen along sectarian lines in Iraq, one of only a handful of countries that has more Shia Muslims than Sunnis. A Fact Tank post analyzes the divide between the two sects.
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Iran’s Global Image Largely Negative
As negotiations over its nuclear program continue this week in Vienna, a new Pew Research Center poll finds that Iran’s global image remains overwhelmingly negative. Moreover, ratings for Iran in several Middle Eastern nations have declined significantly in recent years. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, who was elected just over one year ago, also receives poor […]
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The Sunni-Shia divide: Where they live, what they believe and how they view each other
Iraq and Iran are two of only a handful of countries that have more Shias than Sunnis.
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In countries near Syria, widespread fear about the spread of violence, extremists
Middle East worries about spreading violence and a possible triumph by extremists in Syria have been evident in Pew Research surveys the past two years.
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Syria’s Neighbors Want Assad to Step Down, But No Appetite for Aid to Rebels
After three years of civil war, Syria’s neighbors fear that al Qaeda or other extremist groups could take control of that war-torn land, according to a new survey by the Pew Research Center. Regional publics widely disapprove of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and they want him to step down. Nevertheless, there is mounting opposition in […]
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More Americans say U.S. failed to achieve its goals in Iraq
As Sunni militants make a major military push against the central government in Iraq, the Obama administration is said to have rebuffed requests from Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to use drones to strike at extremist bases. That reported reluctance follows years of U.S. military intervention in Iraq that many Americans say was misguided and failed to achieve its goals.
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Public Has Doubts about Bergdahl Prisoner Exchange
Survey Report The prisoner exchange that freed U.S. soldier Bowe Bergdahl from the Taliban in Afghanistan gets a more negative than positive reaction from the public. Overall, 43% say it was the wrong thing for the Obama administration to exchange five Taliban prisoners for captive soldier Bergdahl, while fewer (34%) say it was the right […]
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Syria’s neighbors give Assad the thumbs down
Strong majorities of the publics in Egypt, Israel, Jordan, the Palestinian territories, Tunisia and Turkey and half the public in Lebanon voice a very unfavorable view of the embattled Syrian leader.
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Key takeaways from our Egypt survey
Egyptians are about as unhappy with the direction of their country as they were back in spring 2010, less than a year before the revolution that toppled then President Hosni Mubarak. Today, 72% of Egyptians are dissatisfied with the country’s direction, while just 24% are satisfied.
