How would Arab Christians, Muslims (Sunnis, Shias, Druze, Alawites, etc) and Jews respond to a similar survey if it were to take place in the Middle East?
Metransparent has translated the key findings of the report to arabic suggesting its readers “comment” the survey as if they were taking part in it. (A summary in French)
It is noteworthy that the image of U.S. Muslims is very similar to the image of other mainline religious groups. Would it be the case if the survey were to be done inside the Arab region. In other words, do we have a wrong image of the real Muslims in the Middle East? Is the real Arab Muslim different from the image reflected (or, rather, created) by Aljazeera and other channels?
**
A major survey by the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life finds that most Americans have a non-dogmatic approach to faith. A majority of those who are affiliated with a religion, for instance, do not believe their religion is the only way to salvation. And almost the same number believes that there is more than one true way to interpret the teachings of their religion. This openness to a range of religious viewpoints is in line with the great diversity of religious affiliation, belief and practice that exists in the United States, as documented in a survey of more than 35,000 Americans that comprehensively examines the country’s religious landscape.
This is not to suggest that Americans do not take religion seriously. The U.S. Religious Landscape Survey also shows that more than half of Americans rank the importance of religion very highly in their lives, attend religious services regularly and pray daily. Furthermore, a plurality of adults who are affiliated with a religion want their religion to preserve its traditional beliefs and practices rather than either adjust to new circumstances or adopt modern beliefs and practices. Moreover, significant minorities across nearly all religious traditions see a conflict between being a devout person and living in a modern society.
The Landscape Survey confirms the close link between Americans’ religious affiliation, beliefs and practices, on the one hand, and their social and political attitudes, on the other. Indeed, the survey demonstrates that the social and political fault lines in American society run through, as well as alongside, religious traditions. The relationship between politics and religion in the United States is particularly strong with respect to political ideology and views on social issues such as abortion and homosexuality, with the more religiously committed adherents across several religious traditions expressing more conservative political views. On other issues included in the survey, such as environmental protection, foreign affairs, and the proper size and role of government, differences based on religion tend to be smaller.
Religion in America: Non-Dogmatic, Diverse and Politically Relevant