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 A recent global survey suggests that Muslims are more religious than Christians and Hindus.
December 3rd, 2011
10:00 PM ET
Conflict, theology and history make Muslims more religious than others, experts sayBy Richard Allen Greene, CNN (CNN) - Every religion has its true believers and its doubters, its pious and its pragmatists, but new evidence suggests that Muslims tend to be more committed to their faith than other believers. Muslims are much more likely than Christians and Hindus to say that their own faith is the only true path to paradise, according to a recent global survey, and they are more inclined to say their religion is an important part of their daily lives. Muslims also have a much greater tendency to say their religion motivates them to do good works, said the survey, released over the summer by Ipsos-Mori, a British research company that polls around the world.
Islam is the world's second-largest religion - behind Christianity and ahead of Hinduism, the third largest. With some 1.5 billion followers and rising, Islam's influence may be growing even faster than its numbers as the Arab Spring topples long-reigning secular rulers and opens the way to religiously inspired political parties. The case against TLC’s “All-American Muslim” But while there's no doubt about the importance of Islam, experts have different theories about why Muslims appear to be more religious than members of other global faiths - and contrasting views on whether to fear the depth of Muslims' commitment to their faith. One explanation lies in current affairs, says Azyumardi Azra, an expert on Islam in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim majority country. Many Muslims increasingly define themselves in contrast with what they see as the Christian West, says Azra, the director of the graduate school at the State Islamic University in Jakarta. "When they confront the West that they perceive or misperceive as morally in decline, many Muslims feel that Islam is the best way of life. Islam for them is the only salvation," he says. The case for TLC’s “All-American Muslim” That feeling has become stronger since the September 11 attacks, as many Muslims believe there is a "growing conflict between Islam and the so-called West," he says. "Unfortunately this growing attachment to Islam among Muslims in general has been used and abused by literal-minded Muslims and the jihadists for their own purposes," he says. But other experts say that deep religious commitment doesn't necessarily lead to violence. "Being more religious doesn't necessarily mean that they will become suicide bombers," says Ed Husain, a former radical Islamist who is now a Middle East expert at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York. In fact, Husain argues that religious upbringing "could be an antidote" to radicalism. American Muslim women who cover explain their choice The people most likely to become Islamist radicals, he says, are those who were raised without a religious education and came to Islam later, as "born-agains." Muslims raised with a grounding in their religion are better able to resist the distortions of Islam peddled by recruiters to radical causes, some experts like Husain argue, making them less likely to turn to violence. But he agrees that Muslims are strongly attached to their faith, and says the reason lies in the religion itself. "Muslims have this mindset that we alone possess the final truth," Husain says. Muslims believe "Jews and Christians went before us and Mohammed was the last prophet," says Husain, whose book "The Islamist" chronicles his experiences with radicals. "Our prophet aimed to nullify the message of the previous prophets." The depth of the Muslim commitment to Islam is not only a matter of theology and current events, but of education and history, as well, other experts say. "Where religion is linked into the state institutions, where religion is deeply ingrained from childhood, you are getting this feeling that 'My way is the only way,'" says Fiyaz Mughal, the director of Faith Matters, a conflict-resolution organization in London. The Ipsos-Mori survey results included two countries with a strong link between religion and the state: Legally Muslim Saudi Arabia, which calls itself the guardian of Islam's two holiest sites, Mecca and Medina; and Indonesia, home of the world's largest Muslim population. The third majority Muslim country in the study is Turkey, which has a very different relationship with religion. It was founded after World War I as a legally secular country. But despite generations of trying to separate mosque and state, Turkey is now governed by an Islam-inspired party, the AKP. Turkey's experience shows how difficult it can be to untangle government and religion in Muslim majority countries and helps explain the Muslim commitment to their religion, says Azyumardi Azra, the Indonesia expert. He notes that there has been no "Enlightenment" in Islam as there was in Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries, weakening the link between church and state in many Christian countries. "Muslim communities have never experienced intense secularization that took place in Europe and the West in general," says Azra. "So Islam is still adhered to very strongly." But it's not only the link between mosque and state in many Muslim majority countries that ties followers to their faith, says professor Akbar Ahmed, a former Pakistani diplomat who has written a book about Islam around the world. Like Christians who wear "What Would Jesus Do?" bracelets, many Muslims feel a deep personal connection to the founder of their faith, the prophet Muhammad, he says. Muhammad isn't simply a historical figure to them, but rather a personal inspiration to hundreds of millions of people around the world today. "When a Muslim is fasting or is asked to give charity or behave in a certain way, he is constantly reminded of the example set by the prophet many centuries ago," argues Ahmed, the author of "Journey Into Islam: The Crisis of Globalization." His book is based on interviews with Muslims around the world, and one thing he found wherever he traveled was admiration for Muhammad. "One of the questions was, 'Who is your role model?' From Morocco to Indonesia, it was the prophet, the prophet, the prophet," says Ahmed, the Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies at American University in Washington. But while Ahmed sees similar patterns across the Islamic world, Ed Husain, the former radical, said it was important to understand its diversity, as well. "There is no monolithic religiosity - Muslims in Indonesia and Saudi Arabia are following different versions of Islam," says Husain. "All we're seeing (in the survey) is an adherence to a faith." Political scientist Farid Senzai, director of research at the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding in Washington, raised questions about the survey's findings. "Look at the countries that are surveyed - Saudi Arabia, Indonesia and Turkey," he says. "There are about 300 million Muslims in those three countries, (who make up) about 20% of Muslims globally." Islam is "incredibly important" in Saudi Arabia, he says. "But in Tunisia or Morocco you could have had a different result. It would have been nice if they had picked a few more Arab countries and had a bit more diversity," says Senzai. The pollster, Ipsos-Mori, does monthly surveys in 24 countries, three of which are majority Muslim – Turkey, Indonesia and Saudi Arabia. The other countries range from India to the United States, and Mexico to South Korea, and are the same each month, regardless of the subject the pollsters are investigating. In the survey released in July, about six in 10 Muslims in the survey said their religion was the only way to salvation, while only a quarter of Hindus and two out of 10 Christians made that claim about their own faiths. More than nine out of 10 Muslims said their faith was important in their lives, while the figure was 86% for Hindus and 66% for Christians. Ipsos-Mori surveyed 18,473 adults via an online panel in April and released the findings in July. Results were weighted to make the results as representative as possible, but the pollster cautioned that because the survey was conducted online, it was harder to get representative results in poorer countries where internet access is not widespread. CNN polling director Keating Holland also warns that in an "opt-in" survey, where respondents actively choose to participate, results tend to come from "people who are confident in their opinions and express them openly... not good for intensely private matters like faith or income or sex." Online surveys in countries that are not entirely free are also open to the possibility that pollsters get "the approved response" in those nations, "where the people who are most likely to be willing to talk about such matters are the ones who hold, or at least verbalize, opinions that won't get them in trouble if they are expressed," Holland says. That may have been an issue in Saudi Arabia, where respondents were given the choice of not answering questions on religion due to their potential sensitivity in the kingdom. The Saudi sample was the smallest, with 354 participants, meaning "findings for Saudi Arabia must be treated with caution," Ipsos-Mori said. About 1,000 people participated in most countries, but sample sizes were smaller in the three majority Muslim countries and in eight other countries. The survey participants did not reflect the true percentage of Christians and Muslims in the world. Christians were over-represented – as were people who said they had no religion – and Muslims were under-represented. Nearly half the respondents identified themselves as Christian. Eleven percent were Muslim, 4% were Buddhist, 3% were Hindu and 3% were "other." A quarter said they had no religion and 6% refused to say. Fiyaz Mughal, the interfaith expert, argues that even though the countries surveyed might not be representative of the entire Muslim world, the findings about Muslims rang broadly true. Muslims in different countries were committed to their faith for different reasons, he says. "Saudi Arabia is an institutionally religious state. Indonesia has religion tied into its culture," says Mughal. But Muslim immigrants to Europe also show strong ties to their religion, either as a defense mechanism in the face of a perceived threat, or because of an effort to cling to identity, he contends. He detects a link between insular communities and commitment to faith regardless of what religion is involved. It is prevalent in Muslim Saudi Arabia, but he has seen it among Israeli Jews as well, he says. "The Israeli Jewish perspective is that (the dispute with the Palestinians) is a conflict of land and religion which are integrally linked," Mughal says. "What does play a role in that scenario is a sense of isolationism and seclusion in Israeli Jewish religious communities, a growing trend to say, 'Our way is the only way,'" he says. Religious leaders of all faiths need to combat those kinds of attitudes because of the greater diversity people encounter in the world today, he argues. They have a responsibility to teach their congregations "that if they are following a religion, it is not as brutal or exclusive as possible," Mughal says. "Things are changing. The world is a different place from what it was even 20 years ago." Politicians, too, "need to take these issues quite seriously," he says. "In the Middle East there are countries - the Saudi Arabias - where you need to be saying that diversity, while it may not be a part of the country, is something they have to deal with when moving in a globalized area," he says. But Senzai, the political scientist, says that it's also important for the West to take the Muslim world on its own terms. "Many Muslims want religion to play a role in politics," he says. "To assume that everyone around the world wants to be like the West - that they want liberal secular democracy - is an absurd idea." - CNN's Nima Elbagir and Atika Shubert contributed to this report. soundoff (5,459 Responses)« Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 Next »
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The CNN Belief Blog covers the faith angles of the day's biggest stories, from breaking news to politics to entertainment, fostering a global conversation about the role of religion and belief in readers' lives. It's edited by CNN's Daniel Burke with contributions from Eric Marrapodi and CNN's worldwide news gathering team.  |
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I'm disappointed in CNN for allowing this endless steam of islamophobia. I shall stand against the Jew bully, and alone if necessary!
Oh right cuz Jewphobia is so much less inflammatory, loser...
@rdude Believe me when I say I don't get hard over my religion. Just messing with you.
you've been in this post for over an hour. either you have no life or you do indeed get hard over religion.
@Ari, I wasn't talking to, but you can go f- k yourself
Me too just f- king with you
@Ari, BTW your religion couldn't get me hard even if Mohammed himself was spreading his lips and bending over
@rdude you have insulted the flying spaghetti monster, the merciful, the glorious, for the last time. when you least expect it my fellow pirates and i will take our revenge upon thee.
@Ari, I don't know what that crazy rant meant, but if it has anything to do with your belief in Mohammed and his crazy religion I understand, just take some acid you will be seeing all that and more.
CNN =the communist news network...really likes to stir things up don't they? Earth, we have a problem...Islam will keep us from the next evolutionary step toward an advanced civilization, unless we (everybody you isn't a Muslim) realize the real threat that it is. Wake up CNN and the rest of you who fail to comprehend the danger of Islam. Study, research and become knowledgeble about Islam and open your eyes to what is happening in Africa as we speak.
Not just in Africa. Check out Europe, and especially France.
Christianity and judaism will too. Keep in mind that it was christians who fought so strongly against embryonic stem cell research. It's also christians that have a disregard for the environment and climate change as they believe the rapture will happen soon and god gave the earth to man to use as he sees fit.
@ari My friend have you ever heard about the geological term sea floor spreading if not don't waste my time.
the term used in the qu'ran for earth means the planet, not the geological crust. the earth (planet) according to the qu'ran was spread. don't bother with your idiotic apologism trying to reconcile the qu'ran with science–i've seen it all before.
I've heard of the term Mohammed spreading eagle for little kids
http://www.jihadwatch.org/2008/03/here-is-fitna.html
Watch this Video.
Someone tell me if this is Islam???
Embedded video from CNN Video
It's the only religion that will pour acid in your face if you don't follow its tenants. That makes you a pretty devout muslim quick.
The indoctrination is enforced 5 times a day.
You must pray 5 times a day.
It is hard to pretend to forget the brainwashing.
Once a week, once a month, once or twice a year does not constrict
the individual to the insanity of religion.
The socially accepted insanity of religion will fade away unless it is constantly reinforced.
@uglytruth
The only truth about your name is the prefix.
Really
First I don't believe he married a 9 year old you know why because they are lot of contradictions on the age of Aisha in historical records where the information comes from. Also she took part in the battle of Badr and there were no children allowed on the battle field.
@Really: were u referring to my ques? I never said anything re Mohammed or his wives, my ques was does islam prescribe a minumum age 4 marriage, and also is it true that Saudi Arabia has 9 as minimun marry age?
Read your self what Quran say you can go to a Islam hate site or gain some knowledge for a change.
@Really, who's to say the Quran isn't full of s– t
Most credible Islamic sources and literature (Bulkhari, et al) were very clear about the age of Aisha when at six she was promised to Mohammad and nine or ten when the marriage was consummated. And because of this example, most Islamic countries to this day permit the consummation of marriages at the age of puberty.. The Prophet was a pedophile.
Where Muslims are dominant, there has been 1300 years of systematic persecution, harassment and denigration of the minority religions. Since Islamic armies first started invading non-Muslim lands in the seventh centuries, over 250 million non-believers were killed. Those who escaped with their lives either converted to Islam or paid the special "protection" tax (jirza). Contrary to popular myth, the Crusades were initiated nearly four hundred years AFTER Islamic armies began conquering "infidel" lands in order to reclaim territoried lost to the armies of Allah. Regardless of what Islamists say public ally, the goal remains unchanged......worldwide submission to Allah.
Persecution really I don't remember Muslims killing people for saying earth is flat.
@really actually the qu'ran states several times that the earth was "spread" (ie flat). it also says that man was created by god in the garden of eden and that the sun orbits the earth.
Muhammed also said the sun sets in a puddle.
@Really, Your right they didn't kill for the Earth being flat, but they do like suicide bombings, and killing others for even dumber s-t
@John Geheran
People should read what they say. Let's take just one example. The most horrible persecutions of Jewish people was caused by Europeans "defenders" of the Christian faith. The inquisition in Spain, the innumerable cases of pogroms all throughout Europe, and finally the most horrific event: The holocaust.
Now: one question. What do we call the Golden age of Jewry? I'm sure you know it. But just in case I'll tell you. It was under the Muslim rule in Spain where Muslims, Jews and Christians could live in relative harmony, and philosophers such as Maimonides would thrive...
@yes the jewish golden age? sorry, was this the same time when jews were being massacred in the streets (oh yes, it happened, look up granada) and maimonides was chased from his homeland? REALLY? i'd consider the modern-day era our golden age. less massacres in general.
@ari:
ari. Do me a favor. try to read this book: book: an introduction of Islam for Jews. Author: Firestone.
@ari,
We should not confuse many complex issues. The Muslim world is not a monolithic one. Many different dynasties alternated during that period in Muslim Spain. Some were more tolerant than others. It's only when the Almohads came to power, that things were difficult. And guess what, even then where did Maimonides go with many other Jewish families? To Fes, Morocco. They didn't go to Vienna or Paris.
i just don't understand religious people. take islam, for example. imagine that tomorrow a man in new york city proclaims himself a messenger of god. imagine also that this man declares that god has told him that it is acceptable to marry as many women as he wants, and that some of these women can be his personal slaves or six years old. now imagine that man gathers some followers and declares that god has told him to conquer the entire east coast. would you believe him? i can guarantee that you would not. yet you muslims believe mohammed, who did exactly this. why? because muslims invaded your ethnic homeland and forced your ancestors to convert to islam through extortion and violence? what nonsense!
Imagine he tells you stuff that only you and your wife know.
I think it's the "magic factor". Most magic tricks are easy to figure out, but people want to believe so they fail to see the obvious. Fantasy is comfortable. It reminds of being a child when our almighty parents were god.
@Really, relax your getting hard over your religion again
@rdude You can walk home.
And you can ride mohammeds d-k
Ohh my bad that's right he only like em young
Islam means submission to God. The more you surrender to God, the more you are free.
But it is difficult to surrender, because we think it is a humiliating process, and that's your ego that is talking. And that's why the Great Jihad Is the Jihad against the ego (the little Jihad being the fight against any kind of injustice, including foreign military invasion and occupation).
The more your Jihad against the ego is unshakable, the more you surrender and submit to God, and the more you are free. Therefore a true Muslim is one that have succeeded in mastering his/her ego. A true Muslim is a Free man! And for all Muslim, seeking this freedom is like a magnet, that is why they are so committed to their religion.
mohammed called himself and his followers "slaves" of allah. doesn't sound too free to me. what kind of idiotic, prideful god would demand that the people he created (supposedly with free will) be "slaves"?
“Slave” in Arabic means also the one who submits/surrenders. I agree with you, one should have the choice of surrendering or not. And I think every human being has that choice.
Mohammed himself was a huge slave trader.
not much of a choice when allah sends people who refuse to obey to hell, where their skin is ripped off and put back on every day. what a terrible, terrible god. even if he did exist, i would never worship him.
cake or death!
@ari
Relax ari. It seems you a lot of hate towards Islam. You think that you know some facts about Islam, but maybe they are not correct. I say maybe. check out this book: an introduction of Islam for Jews. Author: Firestone.
Maybe Allah and Yahweh are the same one after all. Again, I say maybe.
he religion of Islam is not named after a person as in the case of Christianity which was named after Jesus Christ, Buddhism after Gotama Buddha, Confucianism after Confucius, and Marxism after Karl Marx. Nor was it named after a tribe like Judaism after the tribe of Judah and Hinduism after the Hindus. Islam is the true religion of "Allah" and as such, its name represents the central principle of Allah's "God's" religion; the total submission to the will of Allah "God". The Arabic word "Islam" means the submission or surrender of one's will to the only true god worthy of worship "Allah" and anyone who does so is termed a "Muslim", The word also implies "peace" which is the natural consequence of total submission to the will of Allah. Hence, it was not a new religion brought by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) I in Arabia in the seventh century, but only the true religion of Allah re-expressed in its final form.
Peace.
Then why is there so much violence in the quran and hadith? I mean, instead of "implying" peace, wouldn't it have been better to only preach peace in your holy teachings? I mean, look at buddhism. No one questions its message of peace because there's no verses of doing violence to others in its books.
Ha ha ha. You are another brain-washed Muslim (and majority) with "Me and my religion is better than anyone" ridiculous fanatic thought. When I look at Muslims, they all look like sheep to me, following a path of other sheep, believing that it is the best. They don't have independent thinking or thoughts. Some pedophile thought of ruling the tribes, came up with wicked idea of ruling them and devised Allah. He came down from mountain and start saying that Allah sent messenger to me and everybody started following him blindly. He must be ahead of his time and a very good story-teller. Even Lord of the Rings sound more believable that Koran's God stories. LOL. That is why whole Muslim world is going in to gutter.
And your point that other religions has this name and that name (though what is in name if you have diff. name, would u be a diff. person? ), at least other religions are more philosophical and humane. They are continuously giving humanity best of resources like inventions, education and charity. Islam is living in medieval age.
"Really" then why is it that in Saudi Arabia the legal age for a girl to get married is 9 years old? I'll tel you why .....because Mohamed did it ...so if Mohamed did it then it's acceptable..??????...If mohamed was alive today and married a 9year old girl he would be THROWN in jail for pedophelia . You muslims are such BLIND followers
Someone posted this, and im wanting to know is this true? Btw, does islam holy writings prescribe a minimum age for marriage?
First I don't believe he married a 9 year old you know why because they are lot of contradictions on the age of Aisha in historical records where the information comes from. Also she took part in the battle of Badr and there were no children allowed on the battle field.
@really it's stated five times in the hadith that she was 6 at the age of marriage and 9 at the age of consummation.
stop hattin. Go Islam.
Islamic scholars agree Ayesha was 6 years old during marriage to mohammed and 9 years old when the consumated. This is fact. The information is out there.
Why are you hating so much on a religion that is the only one that makes sense and that speaks the truth ! One day, and trust on this one One day you will regret what you have just said, but then it will be too late,, making fun of God and his messenger is a big SIN... You ignorance is only taking you to HELL .. before you speak about ISLAM you should study and learn what's about and why it is the largest religion on EARTH.. GOD have given you a chance to live to obey him, pray and do good so don't waste this chance because you only get to live once.. ISLAM is much bigger and greater than what you are and what you think so no matter what you say, you won't shake it neither brake it ..
@Jimbo54321 I will be designated driver.
Who are you going to drive for your young pipi loving mahammed
Atheists often try to use the "burden of proof" and "extraordinary claims" arguments which are unsupported by logic or the scientific method. They are a way of discounting anothers argument without addressing it. The claim that there is no God or Gods, is the extraordinary claim, because it is rejected by the majority of humans in this world. Therefore the idea of "burden of proof" is on the atheist, not the other way around. I don't think that is really hard ot understand.
That is the stupidest comment I have ever read.
nonsensical argument. the majority of the world believes that humans were created by god and that evolution is a myth. the proof is already there. you're just choosing to ignore it.
Brett, I assume that you believe yourself smarter than the majority of humens in the world. Therefore, support your belief with proof.
He's using bandwagon fallacy, but nevertheless, faith can be reasonable, something militant atheists fail to admit. Fortunately, most scientists are NOT of their atheistic mind-set.....
Ari, I am only looking at the arrogant fool who repeats the quote from someone smarter than themselves, that the burden of proof is on the person making an extraordinary claim. The notion of "extraordinary claim" is a purely subjective judgement based upon ones own bias. Yet the average atheist will regurgitate this as if it has any weight.
I'll second that, Brett.
Brett and Bob, thank you for your intelligent and insightful refutation of my point. I am truely impressed with your wisdom and elloquence.
Again, I'll ask you.... are you saying that Zeus exists because you don't have proof otherwise?
@ well:
Then let us try this: You argue that because most people believe in creation, ergo it is true. This is utter nonsense and is a logical fallacy known (WELL known) as "argumentum ad populum," otherwise known as "appeal to the people." Just because a majority believes something does NOT make it fact.
An example: More Brittany Spears albums have been sold than Mozart concertos. By your logic this makes Brittany Spears a better musician. See how this is utterly incorrect?
The burden of proof, that there is a supernatural force responsible for all that is, has been, and will be, is on those making that claim. This is known as Russell's Teapot: Anyone can claim something, but the burden of proof lies on those making that claim, for example the claim there is a cosmic teapot orbiting the sun.
Atheists cannot prove a negative: No one can. There are arguments that say otherwise, but all they are proving is an absence. (For example, if I say there are no coins in my pocket, all I am doing is proving an absence of coins in my pocket. This doesn't mean there never have been coins in my pocket.) If I say there is no god and you ask me to prove it, I cannot because there is no initial presence or possibility to work from. However, you are claiming a positive when you say there is or was a god or Jesus or FSM or whatever. You now need to produce evidence to support this claim, which you should be able to do if there was indeed ever a presence of any of the above. However, there is none, so your claims remain false. Just because a bunch of people believe this isn't proof, so hopefully that will counter your claims to some kind of satisfaction on your part, unless you are going to pull a fingers-in-the-ears reaction.
Throughout history islam has killed more people than communism and nazism combined !
Really when was man not killing man was there a single religion that had no wars fought over it.
It's early yet.
Oh yeah! Everybody else here is stupid to believe you! More than WWI and WWII!
It's actually a true solid fact. Islam did in fact kill more.
you can say that but can you prove it what about the muslims killed in iraq
Citation, please?
Very interesting...no wonder, Islam is growing so dangerously by threatening other indigenous cultures in the world.Future will be more interesting 😉
Plus they're outbreeding all western civilization by almost 8 times.
I would be more religious if I knew I'd be honor-killed if I wasn't...
We are more religious because we believe more then any other religion that our path to God is the truth. The average Christian thinks of Heavan and the hereafter as fairy tale that might or might not happen. We know that the day of account with our world is more real then this world. Why? Because even an atheist will tell you that this world is temporary and one day it will cease to exist!!!
one day billions of years from now, long after the human race has disappeared from the earth. humans are a young species and will not be around long if we don't colonize space. all the more reason to spend the time that we have on science and technology instead of fairy tales.
"more then"???
Ahhh, once again proving that the religious are less educated and therefore more easily duped!