Who Speaks For Islam?: What a Billion Muslims Really Think

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Who Speaks For Islam?: What a Billion Muslims Really Think

3.8 of 5 stars 3.80 · rating details · 288 ratings · 53 reviews

In a post-9/11 world, many Americans conflate the mainstream Muslim majority with the beliefs and actions of an extremist minority. But what do the world’s Muslims think about the West, or about democracy, or about extremism itself? Who Speaks for Islam? spotlights this silenced majority. The book is the product of a mammoth six-year study in which the Gallup Organization...more

Hardcover, 230 pages

Published February 25th 2008 by Gallup Press (first published May 2007)

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Oct 19, 2010 Alkhansaa rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

الكتاب رائع، يجب أن أعود لأتحدث عنه :)

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تحديث 12/11/1431هـ

ليلة جفاني فيها النوم

تعرفت على داليا مجاهد عندما قرأت خبر تعيينها مستشارة لأوباما، وشاهدت الكتاب على رف مكتبة الشروق وعليه إسمها فدفعني الفضول لشرائه، الكتاب يتحدث بلغة الأرقام، أي لغة الإحصائيات حول عدد من الأفكار والآراء في العالم الإسلامي، داليا كإمرأة مسلمة في الغرب، كثيراً ماواجهت الصورة النمطية حول العالم الإسلامي والمسلمين فقررت أن تقوم بعمل استطلاع كبير لعرض وجهات النظر في العالم الإسلامي، وتقديمها للغرب في محاولة لكسر الصورة ال...more الكتاب رائع، يجب أن أعود لأتحدث عنه :)

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تحديث 12/11/1431هـ

ليلة جفاني فيها النوم

تعرفت على داليا مجاهد عندما قرأت خبر تعيينها مستشارة لأوباما، وشاهدت الكتاب على رف مكتبة الشروق وعليه إسمها فدفعني الفضول لشرائه، الكتاب يتحدث بلغة الأرقام، أي لغة الإحصائيات حول عدد من الأفكار والآراء في العالم الإسلامي، داليا كإمرأة مسلمة في الغرب، كثيراً ماواجهت الصورة النمطية حول العالم الإسلامي والمسلمين فقررت أن تقوم بعمل استطلاع كبير لعرض وجهات النظر في العالم الإسلامي، وتقديمها للغرب في محاولة لكسر الصورة النمطية، وتقديم صورة أقرب وأكثر عدالة و و موضوعية، الاستطلاع قامت به بواسطة مركز جالوب
وهو مركز متخصص لقياس وجهات النظر حول العالم، كان الكتاب في خمسة فصول تناول خمس من المحاور، الأول كان سؤال حول من هم المسلمون، كان محاولة لتلمس ماذا تشمل كلمة المسلمون حول العالم، وتوضيح أنها مصطلح شامل فضفاض لا نعني به فقط المواطنين في مصر أو السعودية، إنما يشمل دولاً عدة في أفريقا وآسيا وأوروبا، وقام بتوضيح التنوع السياسي والثقافي والإقتصادي والإجتماعي لهذه الدول، والمناطق المسلمة، وأنه من الخطأ وضع إطار ضيق وصورة جامدة لكل هذا التنوع، كان أحد أهم الإستطلاعات في هذا الفصل حول الهوية في هذه الدول، النسبة الكبرى من المشاركين أجابوا بأن الدين مؤشر أولي لهويتهم في الدول الإسلامية، أي أن صورة الدين وأهميته للفرد في الدول الإسلامية رغم كل الظروف التي مروا بها لا تزال قوية، بقية الفصل تطرقت لأركان الإسلام الخمسة لتعريف القاريء الغربي بالديانة الإسلامية ( والكتاب موجه للقاريء الغربي في الأصل)، ثم بعدها تحدثت عن مفهوم الجهاد في الإسلام، وكان هناك استطلاع حول مفهوم الجهاد لدى المسلمين، كانت اجاباته متوزعة مابين مفهوم الجهاد بالقتال والحرب والمفهوم الآخر وهو جهاد النفس، أو ما أطلق عليه في الكتاب الجهاد الغير عنيف.
المحور الثاني كان حول علاقة العالم الإسلامي بالديمقراطية، وتحت عنوان ديمقراطية أم ثيوقراطية، تطرق للعلاقة مابين الشريعة الإسلامية والديمقراطية بالمفهوم الغربي، وهل هناك تعارض بينهما؟، هذا الفصل أعتبره من أكثر الفصول إثارة للإهتمام بالنسبة لي، كانت الأسئلة هنا حول مدى العلاقة بين نظرة الناس للديمقراطية والحريات، في العالم الإسلامي وأيضا حول تطبيق الشريعة الإسلامية كما يرى المسلمون، يعنون به التطبيق العادل الصحيح للشريعة وليس المحرف والصوري، وأحد أهم النتائج التي ظهرت من هذه الإستطلاعات أن المسلمين في الغالب يرغبون بالديمقراطية والحرية مع تطبيق الشريعة الإسلامية، أي رغبتهم بوجود صورة تجمع مابين المباديء الإسلامية والقيم الديمقراطية.
الفصل الثالث كان حول التطرف وعلاقته بالعالم الإسلامي، وكان بعنون ما الذي يصنع الراديكالي؟، تم إفتراض أن أحداث 11/9 هي المعيار للراديكالية السياسية في هذا الفصل وهذا ما لفت انتباهي أنه تجاهل أحداث أخرى كان من الممكن أخذها بالأعتبار مع هذا الحدث، حيث كانت نسبة المؤيدين لهذه الأحداث في الاستطلاع 7% من دول العالم الإسلامي، وتم إعتبار هذه النسبة وحدها معياراً كافياً للحكم بالتطرف السياسي!
تحدثوا في هذا الفصل عن أبرز مشاكل العالم الإسلامي وهي الفقر والأمية، وأنه وبالرغم من هذه الظروف فإن الإرهابيين لا يأتون من هذه الطبقات المسحوقة غالباً، وإنما من طبقات إجتماعية متوسطة، و مما يلفت النظر هو أن المتطرفين أكثر تفاؤلا على المستوى الشخصي من بقية المشاركين في الاستطلاع، رغم تشاؤمهم على المستوى السياسي والدولي!
تم قياس نسبة التدين بين المتطرفين سياسياً ومقارنتها مع نسبة التدين بين بقية المشاركين لتظهر النتيجة بأن النسبة متقاربة إلى حد كبير وأن المتطرفين سياسياً ليسوا أكثر تديناً مثلا من المعتدلين، أي أن الدين ليس دافعاً للتطرف في هذه الحالة إنما حالة الإحباط السياسي التي يعيشها المسلم.
الفصل الرابع كان حول النساء في العالم الإسلامي، بعنوان ماذا تريد النساء؟
الصورة النمطية تقول بأن النساء مقهورات ومظلومات في العالم الإسلامي وهن ضحايا لنظم اجتماعية وسياسية تمارس تمييزاً ضد المرأة، كان الاستطلاع حول عدد من الأفكار مثل تعليم المرأة وكانت النسبة متفاوتة هنا، فبعض الدول نسبة أمية المرأة فيها عالية مثل اليمن وباكستان مقابل ارتفاع نسبة تعليم المرأة في دولة مثل السعودية وإيران والإمارات، وأيضا حول إعجاب المسلمات بالقيم الغربية، وبالمرأة الغربية، كانت نسبة من النساء المسلمات يؤكدن غياب حقوقهن، لكن هذا لا يعني أنهن يطالبن بحقوق الغربيات فهن يعتقدن بأن المرأة الغربية بلا قيمة ثقافية، أي أن المسلمات كن على وعي بأهمية الحقوق القانونية ويشعرن بأهميتها مع رغبتهن بالإحتفاظ بالقيمة الثقافية للمرأة، الفصل عموما كان جميلاً تطرق لعمل المرأة ونسبة المؤيدين له من الرافضين في بعض الدول، أيضا حق النساء في التصويت والعمل السياسي، نظرة المرأة المسلمة حول المساواة، وعدد من الأمور التي تخص المرأة.
الفصل الخامس كان بعنوان صدام أم تعايش؟ تحدث حول فكرة صراع الحضارات، كان أحد الأسئلة المطروحة هنا هل يعارض المسلمين حرية التعبير؟ وماهي الحساسيات الثقافية بين الغرب والعالم الإسلامي، هل الغرب في حالة حرب مع العالم الإسلامي؟ هل ينظر المسلمون للغرب بصورة واحدة جامدة أم أن صورة فرنسا تختلف عن ألمانيا وصورة أمريكا تختلف عن صورة بريطانيا لدى المسلمين؟
إحدى النتائج هي أن الحالة الراهنة هي نتيجة صراع الجهل لا الحضارات.
كان هناك ملحقان في الكتب الأول حول طريقة تصميم الأسئلة واختيار العينات، والثانية حول رحلة جالوب حول العالم لطرح الأسئلة وجمع الإجابات، بالنسبة للسعودية لم تسمح لهم بدءً بعمل الإستبيان، وبعد جهود حصل أحد أعضاء الفريق على تصريح بالقيام به مع التدخل في تعديل الأسئلة (إلى متى؟).

الكتاب ممتع، ومثير للتفكير في بعض النقاط، جهد جميل من المؤلفين والباحثين، رغم أن الترجمة سيئة(less)

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Aug 01, 2008 Skylar Burris rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: islam, politics

Imagine you begin to see the Nazis gaining influence in Germany. Imagine they have already killed several thousand Jews and are talking of killing more. Imagine the German people are doing nothing to stop them and that many are too afraid even to speak out. Then imagine somebody writes a book saying, "What are you worried about? Nine in ten Germans are moderate. Only one in ten Germans think the concentration camps are COMPLETELY justified. So stop saying there's a problem with Germany. If you k...more

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Skylar Burris "Am getting it right or not ? Are you saying that all the Germans are criminals ....They elect Hitler and gave him the power to do what he did, isn't...more
Jun 03, 2009 02:09pm

Mahmoud You know, it's different ..
You want tell if u meet a German back in 1939, would see him as a threat, and if you saw a Mercedes .. it's a threat.

Is the...more
updated Jun 03, 2009 02:42pm

Jun 30, 2008 Anne rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction, religion

A straightforward presentation of the results and the implications of the results from a worldwide Gallup poll of the world's Muslims. I found this book a much-needed counterbalance to the prevailing Islamaphobia in so much of the public discourse of the USA. Among the points that this books makes are: jihad doesn't mean holy war; radical militant Muslims are better educated, richer, and less religious than moderate Muslims; sharia is not inherently anti-democratic or discriminatory; Muslim men...more

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Feb 07, 2013 Summers rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

This is definitely worth reading. I learned so much and have a greater respect for Muslims as a whole, and will no longer buy into the prejudices and stereotypes. This book does not try to deny that terrorism exists, but it puts it perspective relative to mainstream Muslims and relative to the Islamic teachings (which do not teach murder and terrorism). For example, the majority of Muslims do not live in Iraq & Afganistan, but whenever we think of Muslims, those are the countries we think of...more

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Dec 19, 2008 Khalid rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: already-read

"Who Speaks for Islam?" is a gem; just plain simple: You should read it.

The world sees Islam through the most visible actions of the most extreme people, but this is not who we are. Muslims are so diverse and, when looked at scientifically, we are so peaceful, friendly, and very normal.

Numbers are so beautiful, because they tell you the plain truth with no embellishment. This book uses statistics generated by Gallup's World Poll (A global poll by a very renowned polling institute) to identify wh...more "Who Speaks for Islam?" is a gem; just plain simple: You should read it.

The world sees Islam through the most visible actions of the most extreme people, but this is not who we are. Muslims are so diverse and, when looked at scientifically, we are so peaceful, friendly, and very normal.

Numbers are so beautiful, because they tell you the plain truth with no embellishment. This book uses statistics generated by Gallup's World Poll (A global poll by a very renowned polling institute) to identify what we, the normal everyday Muslims, think about different things: How we look towards the west, towards ourselves, towards terrorism, and toward issues. It does it very beautifully in an easy-to-read well researched fashion (Do not expect to see boring unreadable scientific lingo here. It's based on scientific data, but it's totally written in a properly analyzed interesting style).

It starts out by giving a brief introduction about who Muslims are. What do we believe in and do, and what is not really part of Islam. It also addresses the misconception of Jihad as "Holy War"; all of that while citing polling data.

It then addresses very interesting subjects including what makes a person a radical, whether Muslims favor a democracy or a theocracy, what do women Muslims want really, and how Muslims look upon the west and what are their hopes in this regard.

It also in a very interesting way demonstrates that the West and the Islamic world are not real monoliths and that a lot of diversity exists inside each, and towards each. For instance, the way Muslims view the actions of a certain western country may defer than the way they view another's, and the way Muslims perceive a leader of a nation may not exactly match the way they perceive the nation itself.

Other interesting revelations are the comparisons between the views of Americans and those of Muslims. In many religion based issues, it is noteworthy that the results of Americans fall in the same statistical margins in which Muslim's fall (And yet Muslims are said to be more radical). In fact, sometimes, the views of Americans are far more radical (You'll find that 46% of Americans do not believe that acts against civilians are "never justified", making the majority actually accept acts against civilians in some cases; a rate you will not see in Muslim countries).

There is a lot to say about this book, but I guess the best advice to give is: Go read it if you want to learn more about the way real Muslims think, or you are a Muslim who deals often with westerners who may want to learn more about the way real Muslims think. (less)

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Nov 16, 2012 Russell rated it 4 of 5 stars

I applaud the authors of this book for making an attempt to let scientifically gathered data speak for themselves rather than just relying on popular media, myths, etc. However, in interpreting and presenting the data, the authors, unfortunately, fail to let the data speak for themselves. They rely on anecdotes as often as they present the data themselves.

It is inevitable that in interpreting data an authors biases will come out. In this case the bias seems to be a desire to nurture greater resp...more

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Nov 09, 2010 Aban (Aby) rated it 4 of 5 stars

I was SO impressed with this book! It is based on the results of a mammoth Gallup Poll research study between 2001 and 2007 which surveyed a sample representing 90% of the world's 1.3 billion Muslims. The survey (conducted through tens of thousands of hour-long, face-to-face interviews)covered such questions as: what Muslims like and/or dislike about the West, how they feel about terrorism and attacks on civilians, their views on women's rights, religion, government and legislation. The response...more I was SO impressed with this book! It is based on the results of a mammoth Gallup Poll research study between 2001 and 2007 which surveyed a sample representing 90% of the world's 1.3 billion Muslims. The survey (conducted through tens of thousands of hour-long, face-to-face interviews)covered such questions as: what Muslims like and/or dislike about the West, how they feel about terrorism and attacks on civilians, their views on women's rights, religion, government and legislation. The responses and the analysis of the survey make for fascinating reading.

Since 9/11 and the attacks on the Twin Towers, there has been so much focus on Western/Muslim conflict with the emphasis in the press on extremist views. It's valuable to read what the majority of Muslims feel about the above-mentioned topics. To me it was, above all, reassuring in that the people surveyed admired the West for its technology and its democratic principles (freedom of speech, human rights, rule of law). Moreover the vast majority opposed terrorism and attacks on civilians.

It was also interesting to read that the authors of the survey (their credentials are impressive) felt that spread of terrorism against the West is not caused by Islam, but by by the perception in the Muslim world that the West (especially the USA) is trying to dominatate their countries. They feel that the USA is not really interested in Muslim self-determination but in bolstering authoritarian regimes in the the Middle East and in promoting its own brand of democracy.

The section on women's issues was riviting. It was interseting to read that Muslim women, while they admire much about the West, do not yearn to be like their Western counterparts. They favour gender parity, but on their terms and within their own cultural context. They do not see the veil as a symbol of inferior status. (On the contrary they view Western women's "immodest" clothing as a sign of their degraded status! - Interesting perspective!) They also feel the Western advocacy of women's issues is an attempt to justify colonialsim and domination.

I could go on and on; there was so much of interest in the book. I would recommend it to anyone who is intersted in reading about the Muslim world and also to those who have concerns about terrorism and the spread of Islam.(less)

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Jul 23, 2010 Shawn rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Anyone

Shelves: politics

So far a lot of this is common sense stuff. The surveys from different countries are very interesting, and the explanation of the array of factions regarding Islam is interesting as well. The bit about Jihad seems to be speaking to an audience that would otherwise be convinced that the Koran/Islam/Jihad are totally violent, but this section serves a purpose regarding the different interpretations of the meaning of Jihad. The book also highlightes passages that are often taken out of context of t...more

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Jan 15, 2011 Svelteassassin rated it 5 of 5 stars

A narrative report on the Gallup World Survey of Muslims, an exhaustive survey taken from 2001-2007. For those of us who aren't world travelers (yet) and don't have a lot of contact with Muslims or the Islamic world, in general, this book is essential reading. Common American perceptions of Muslim beliefs and of Islamic practices and ideals are blown out of the water. And not just the obvious Fox News propaganda like "They hate us for our freedom" (our freedoms are the things they most admire ab...more

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Dec 01, 2012 Paul Kelly rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, culture-and-religiob

In all of the noise about Islam, Esposito makes some important points. He uses research information from a Global Gallup pole to describe Muslims as people who are primarily peace-loving people who resent the intrusion of the United States into their lives and their countries. The book does, however, seem one-sided and unbalanced. It identifies a few key findings and absolutely wears them out to make the point that the United States is the problem. While I do not doubt that our foreign policies...more

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May 13, 2011 Taranimu Qalb rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: islam

This book is highly recommended for Muslims especially non-Muslims. This is a survey conducted systematically by John L. Esposito and Dalia Mogahed with the collaboration of Gallup's world poll. It is conducted throughout the Muslim world including USA. It will serve as a refutation to those who speak for Islam without referring to the majority. It will provide as insights that the extremists are magnified and sensationalized by Media and other frenzied elements.It will further show us what majo...more

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Apr 20, 2010 Yasser Abdulaal rated it 4 of 5 stars

The data is available on Gallup website: http://tinyurl.com/y7g6aqt
I have the first edition only.
The results of the polls are surprising and revealing, even for myself.
Well there will be people who wouldn't like the results of the polls because it does not show an awful enemy, I see statistics in front of me, whether they were carefully chosen or not, they still paint a general picture that is much truer than the mutilated one in mainstream media.

Interesting to know that John Esposito was one...more

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Mar 08, 2011 Areej mohammad rated it 4 of 5 stars

الكتاب موجه للمجتمعات الغربيه وخاصه المجتمع الامريكي
لذلك فهو لم يأت بجديد بالنسبه للقارئ المسلم
لكن الجديد فيه هي الاحصاءات واستفتاءات الرأي , التي قد يأتي بعضها مدهشا !
استفتاءات الرأي شملت انحاء العالم الاسلامي من شرق اسيا الى اقصى شرق افريقيا
" كيف يفكر حقا مليار مسلم ؟"
اذا اردت ان تعرف كيف يفكر المسلمون في انحاء العالم, فأظن هذا الكتاب مناسب لك

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Aug 22, 2012 Louis marked it as to-read

"Critical to the fight against global terrorism is an ability to move beyond presuppositions and stereotypes in our attitudes and policies and to form partnerships that transcend an 'us' and 'them' view of the world." (p. 135)

"Who Speaks for Islam?" is by far the best book I have read on Islam. I believe that if a large number of people would read this book and take it to heart, maybe some progress could be made toward peace. The primary basis of the book is reviewing portions of the largest res...more "Critical to the fight against global terrorism is an ability to move beyond presuppositions and stereotypes in our attitudes and policies and to form partnerships that transcend an 'us' and 'them' view of the world." (p. 135)

"Who Speaks for Islam?" is by far the best book I have read on Islam. I believe that if a large number of people would read this book and take it to heart, maybe some progress could be made toward peace. The primary basis of the book is reviewing portions of the largest research project ever done on the beliefs of Muslims around the world. Many in the media, politicians, and religious leaders in the West have made claims about what Muslims believe -- this demonstrates it. In doing so, the research clearly debunks many of the prejudices that serve as the basis for Islamophobia and hate messages against Islam.

One interesting thing the book does is frequently compare two groups: the politically radicalized and the mainstream or moderate Muslims. The politically radicalized are a minority of 7%. To be clear, these are not the extremists or terrorists, but rather individuals more radical than most Muslims. Those that would support or engage in terrorist acts, as hopefully is evident, is far less than the 7%.

One finding that was demonstrated over and over was that there were not significantly different religious beliefs between the moderates and the politically radicalized. Instead, the difference was in their political beliefs. This alone provides strong evidence to show the more extremists views are not due to religion, but rather politics. In supporting more radical views, these individuals appealed to politics, not religion. It is quite clear that Islam has been falsely blamed for terrorism. This, too, is demonstrated by the simple fact that more terrorist acts in the the last 10-years in the United States have been committed by Christians claiming religious reasons for their actions than by individuals who were Muslim.

The authors, too, are deeply aware of the attempts to paint Islam as a hateful and violent religion. There are some verses in the Qu'ran that encourage violence against non-believers. However, they point out that this is true in other religions, too. In the Old Testament of the Bible, God commanded genocide against people from other cultures to protect the Israelites from the beliefs of these groups. Christians, in responding to this, say it is different and that you have to understand the meaning of these verses from inside (i.e., as Christians versed in Biblical interpretation) and that the theme of the Bible is love and justice. However, when reading the Qu'ran, they assert their authority to know what is meant even when Islamic scholars provide different interpretations more informed by a knowledge of the history of Islam and its theology. This is a very clear double standard. The Bible and the Qu'ran have difficult statements that, if read literally, demand violence against those who are different. However, the more dominant theme of both books is peace, justice, and love.

Another common misunderstanding is that "they hate us for our freedom and democracy." This statement was used as regular rhetoric by the Bush administration and has continued to be used by many in political and religious settings. However, the results of this study shows that Muslims around the world would like democracy and more freedom, especially freedom of speech. However, they do not necessary want an "American Democracy." Many Muslims see the democracy of the United States as one that is quite corrupt. From the viewpoint of Islam, the United States democracy has a bloody history of colonization and occupation of other countries for selfish motives, such as oil and exploitation of the resources of other countries. They also are concerned about many "American" values, such as sexual promiscuity. Furthermore, and quite interestingly, they are concerned about the mistreatment of women. While many view Islam as not respecting women, many Muslims see people in the United States as disrespecting women by treating them as sex objects and dressing scantily for the pleasure of men.

It would be easy to go on and on about the importance of this book, but instead I hope many would choose to read it. It only takes a few hours to read z(even with excessive underlining) and it is quite enlightening. It is evident that if we want to improve relations between the Unites States along with the rest of "the West" and the Middle East and Islamic countries, we need to begin with more interest in who they are, willingness to work past prejudices and stereotypes, and demonstrate greater respect. (less)

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Mar 29, 2009 Lindsay rated it 5 of 5 stars

I plan to re-read this book as soon as possible and then write a proper review. Until then, I will say this book is AMAZING. Instead of merely anectodal experiences from my time in the Middle East, I now am armed with facts and intelligent analysis about the beautiful religion of Islam, so often misunderstood and even feared. I wish I had enough money to purchase this book as a gift for all our family and friends! As Americans, we have an important duty to overcome our ignorance and learn about...more

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Oct 03, 2008 Larry rated it 3 of 5 stars

There are so many books being passed around among my fellow evangelicals these days, the basic theme of which is "Islam is a terrible, hateful religion full of terrorists". This book is refreshing for its careful research and balance.

For example, did you know that 80% of Iranians, 81% of people from Bangladesh, and 86% of Pakistanis say that it is never justifiable to intentionally target innocent civilians in order to achieve political or military ends?

Only 46% of Americans say never; 24% of Am...more

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Aug 10, 2009 Mona rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: nonfiction, islam, current-affairs

Based on Gallup World Polls conducted from 2002 through 2006, the book takes a scientific, methodological approach to understanding Muslims. Interviews were conducted both by telephone and face-to face in more than 35 countries with significant Muslim populations. The book has an introductory chapter first explaining who Muslims are (where do they live? what do they believe? etc.), followed by a few chapters focusing on specific topics. The data are often separated by country and compared with r...more Based on Gallup World Polls conducted from 2002 through 2006, the book takes a scientific, methodological approach to understanding Muslims. Interviews were conducted both by telephone and face-to face in more than 35 countries with significant Muslim populations. The book has an introductory chapter first explaining who Muslims are (where do they live? what do they believe? etc.), followed by a few chapters focusing on specific topics. The data are often separated by country and compared with responses of the American public. The sections on democracy/theocracy and jihad are particularly well done. The book concludes with some suggestions that both Americans and Muslims can take to improve their relations and increase understanding.

In each chapter, the authors make observations and draw connections between the objective data collected and current events. The authors are particularly well-suited to the task of explaining Muslim concerns to a non-Muslim audience. Esposito a professor of International Affairs and Islamic Studies at Georgetown University, and is also the director of the center for Muslim-Christian understanding at that university. Mogahed is a senior analyst and executive director of the Gallup Center for Muslim Studies. In April 2009, she was appointed to President Obama's Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. I found their analogy between the Danish cartoon controversy and the 1965 Watt riots particularly interesting.

The book is short and a quick read. The authors also include a "key points" section at the end of each chapter and gray call-out boxes emphasizing important concepts, thus increasing the readability of the book. I think it's an important read for its intended audience (non-Muslims, those with little knowledge of Islam), and it makes a start in debunking some of the commonly held misconceptions of Islam and its followers all over the world. The comparisons between countries was often surprising and more informative, than if the authors had chosen to lump all countries together (which often seems to be the chosen approach).

That said, if I could, I would have given this book 3.5 stars. I doubt I was the intended audience for this book, so much of it was repetitive for me. In some ways, it felt like I was reading it for homework (to be fair, I was reading it for a project, so it kind of was homework). My major nitpick with the content was that it was not clear to me whether the authors included American Muslims in their surveys of the "Muslim world". I didn't see any statistics comparing U.S. Muslims with Pakistani Muslims or Egyptian Muslims or Indonesian Muslims. I think there's a danger in not including American Muslims in such a survey - there needs to be a recognition that Muslims aren't a community that solely exists "over there". But again, they may well have included American Muslims - it just wasn't clear whether they did or not.

Overall, an interesting and informative read for its intended audience.
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Oct 01, 2012 Rachel rated it 3 of 5 stars

While the data in this book was valuable, and sometimes surprising, it did not lend itself to a full-length book. I would have preferred to have read it as a lengthy report. I felt as though many of the statistics were repeated and/or overlapped with other, similar data points. In addition, the sheer fact that Gallup questioners do not venture into areas with compromised security means that they are missing a key sector of respondents, especially in certain countries in the Middle East.

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Feb 23, 2009 Jess rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-own

this book is really important as it offers insight into the actual opinions and beliefs of the majority of the world's muslim population. my greatest concern probably results from a rush to publication. The authors/editors of the Gallup polls the book is based on tend to argue that statistics gathered are particularly positive or negative based on the situation, not based on any bright line. I especially recommend Chapter 4 and 5.

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Aug 31, 2008 Benjamin added it Recommends it for: the christian right.

Shelves: tried-to-read

It was too basic for me, so I stopped reading. Though it has the potential to be a good "Islam for dummies" book, whereas both Fundamentalist Christians and Fundamentalist Muslims could see similarities with each other. I man tried to buy this from me, thinking that "I'd like to see how the other side thinks." That is where this book is best served. And I appreciate the guy's search for answers beyond the "analysts" on TV

Basically, the first part points to how "Jihadists" are a small minority am...more

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Feb 24, 2010 Nate rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: statistics

Written as a result of the largest poll undertaken by Gallup in the Islamic world. The findings show that many of the ideas that permeat through the U.S. and Europe about Muslims and Arabs are wrong. A fascinating look at issues such as democracy, women's rights, and the West's involvement in the Middle East. A great book for anybody who is interested in understanding how Muslims feel about dozens of issues.

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Feb 08, 2013 Ahmad Dabbagh rated it 4 of 5 stars

The book was eye opening in confirming by statistical surveying and research that the mainstream view in muslim nations is by large moderate.

The book is not only recommended reading for non-muslims who want to learn more about what the mainstream view on different topics is for Muslims, but as well for Muslims that are eager to relate their personal views to the mainstream muslim view.

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Oct 18, 2011 Sharolyn Griffith rated it 4 of 5 stars

A quick read on a huge gallop poll which questioned Muslims around the world about their beliefs. It clarifies many misunderstandings we westerners have about Islam. It was a great benefit to me in considering how to teach about Islam and the Middle East.

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Nov 13, 2011 Olivia rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: islamic-studies

Useful teaching tool for an intro-level college course on Islam/the Muslim world. I assigned chapters from this text to my Intro to Political Islam students this semester -- most found the writing accessible and the poll data thought-provoking.

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Jul 05, 2009 Ellen Keim rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: religion

This is basically a summary of the findings of Gallup polls about Islamic attitudes and concerns around the world. Perhaps the most interesting was that Muslims' greatest grievance about the United States is that Americans do not respect them and their religion. It seems to me that if we want to make peace with Islam we have to learn as much as we can about it, while keeping an open mind. That's a good way to read this book as well.

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Dec 04, 2010 Angelique rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: religion

Great book based on the Gallup polls and surveys that were taken throughout 2001-2007 (a massive research project), that greatly dispells the myths and misconceptions that anyone might have of the world's Muslim population.

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Aug 17, 2009 Kristin rated it 5 of 5 stars

Holy statistics!! A fabulous look at the majority of the Muslim world, and how it correlates to Americans opinions on their own religion (Christianity).

A must read.

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May 20, 2013 Mohamed rated it 3 of 5 stars

كيف نحن في عيونهم
هكذا تعرف مع صفحات هذا الكتاب
الكتاب يعتمد بالاساس علي استطلاعات الرأي
ستصدم عن بعد افكار الغرب عن نحن المسلمين
ستصدم اكثر من نتائج الاستطلاعات
في البلدان الاسلامية
سيتحق القراة

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Aug 13, 2011 Bryce rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book presents the results of a worldwide poll of Muslims conducted from 2000-2005. I think many Americans may be surprised by some of the information.

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Apr 21, 2008 Lisa rated it 3 of 5 stars

Recommended to Lisa by: DJM

This was easy to read, but the content is obviously not so easy for many to digest or it wouldn't have been written. Based on a substansial Gallup poll, the data analyzed seems to point to the fact that not all Muslims are radical nor are they all terrorists. (So glad that was clarified!) I just wonder if the intended audience will read it and whether or not it will influence opinions or relations. This book flies in the face of Because They Hate, which I also read and reviewed. I'd love to hear...more

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About John L. Esposito

He is a professor of International Affairs and Islamic Studies at Georgetown University. He is also the director of the Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal center for Muslim-Christian understanding at Georgetown University.

Esposito was raised a Roman Catholic in an Italian neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York City, and spent a decade in a Catholic monastery. After taking his first degree he worked as a manage...more

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Quotes from Who Speaks For Islam?:...

“But blaming Islam is a simple answer, easier and less controversial than re-examining the core political issues and grievances that resonate in much of the Muslim world: the failures of many Muslim governments and societies, some aspects of U.S. foreign policy representing intervention and dominance, Western support for authoritarian regimes, the invasion and occupation of Iraq, or support for Israel's military battles with Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon. (p. 136-137)” — 7 people liked it

“While Westerners still often see the veil as a symbol of women's inferior status in the Muslim world, to Muslims, Western women's perceived lack of modesty signals their degraded cultural status in the West. In both cases, the assumption is that women are either covering or uncovering to please or obey men. (p. 109-110)” — 6 people liked it

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