From its origin on the Arabian Peninsula in the seventh century C.E., Islam has grown into a worldwide religion with more than 1.6 billion adherents – nearly a quarter of the world’s population.1 Today, Muslims live on all inhabited continents and embody a wide range of races, ethnicities and cultures. What beliefs and practices unite […]
In addition to probing opinions about different sects, the survey asked whether certain forms of worship – visiting shrines, reciting religious poetry and dancing devotionally – are acceptable under Islam. The survey also asked whether the teachings of Islam permit appeals to dead ancestors and jinn and the use of sorcery. In most of the […]
Between mid-2009 and mid-2010, religious restrictions rose not only in countries that began the year with high or very high restrictions, such as Indonesia and Nigeria, but also in many countries that began with low or moderate restrictions, such as Switzerland and the United States. The report looks at restrictions due to government actions as well as acts of violence and intimidation by private individuals, organizations and social groups.
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, […]
Results for the survey are based on face-to-face interviews conducted under the direction of Opinion Research Business in Iraq, Morocco and Tunisia and Princeton Survey Research Associates International in the other 36 countries. Findings are reported exclusively for Muslims; however, the survey is based on national samples that did not screen out non-Muslims, except in […]
Overall, the Chinese public holds mixed or negative views of other major countries and international institutions such as the United States, United Nations and European Union. And while a plurality of Chinese describe their country’s relationship with India and the U.S., two of its major trading partners, as one of cooperation, that view has become […]
Since the 1947 partition of India and Pakistan, the Indo-Pakistani relationship has been fraught with tension, manifesting itself in several wars, ongoing border disputes and terrorist incidents. Only 13% of all Indians have a favorable view of Pakistan; 59% have an unfavorable opinion of their Muslim neighbor. This is the lowest percentage approval of Pakistan […]
The Pew Research Center’s 2011 survey of Muslim Americans provides a comprehensive portrait of this religious group, including its religious beliefs and practices as well as social and political attitudes. This nationally representative survey of U.S. Muslims was conducted in English, Arabic, Farsi and Urdu. The survey found that Muslims in the U.S. are racially […]