Since the beginning of the Arab Spring, analysts, policymakers, and pundits have debated whether democracy will actually take root in the Middle East. One thing, however, is clear: People in Arab nations want democracy, and they don’t just support a vague notion of democracy – they want to live in a country that has specific rights and institutions.
Reviews of the economy are generally negative in the predominantly Muslim countries surveyed. Despite the grim economic situation, however, many in Egypt and Tunisia are optimistic about the future, and majorities in the four Arab nations surveyed are hopeful the 2011 popular uprisings will lead to more democracy in the Middle East.[1. numoffset=”2″ The survey […]
Washington, D.C. – The world’s 1.6 billion Muslims are united in their belief in God and the Prophet Muhammad and are bound together by such religious practices as fasting during the holy month of Ramadan and almsgiving to assist people in need. But they have widely differing views about many other aspects of their faith, […]
More than a year after the first stirrings of the Arab Spring, there continues to be a strong desire for democracy in Arab and other predominantly Muslim nations. A substantial number in key Muslim countries also want a large role for Islam in political life. Meanwhile, few think the U.S. favors democracy in the Middle East.
Ahmadi or Ahmadiyya A religious movement that emerged in late 19th-century India around Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (1835-1908), whose followers believe he was a mujaddid (reformer) who showed the way to revive and restore Islam. Alawite or Alawi A sect of Shia Islam centered in Syria that highly venerates Ali, the son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad, […]
What draws people to certain types of news videos and not others? PEJ created a broad list of the visual appeal that came through in the videos. More than a third (35%) of the videos depicted devastating or intensely graphic images. These included videos that demonstrated the dramatic impact of the Japanese tsunami or […]
Japan Earthquake and Tsunami The most viewed news event on YouTube between January 2011 and March 2012 was the earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan in March 2011. For three weeks, the disaster accounted for at least one of the five most watched news videos, although the video at the top of the list shifted […]
The Project for Excellence in Journalism did not publish a news index report this week. However, the data is available.
The study also grouped the most popular videos into broader news categories, such as politics, celebrity or disasters. Videos about the 2012 Russian election, for instance, tended to fall into the government category. Most of the videos about the Arab Spring fit into the category of political protest. Together, government and politics accounted for 22% […]
Mitt Romney’s trip to Europe and Israel this week highlights a potential weakness of his candidacy. The former Massachusetts governor trails Barack Obama by eight points among registered voters as the candidate best able to handle foreign policy and 12 points as best able to defend against terrorist attacks, according to the Pew Research Center’s […]