Who Speaks for Islam?

At the invitation of the Egyptian media, I attended President Obama's June 4th speech in Cairo and witnessed first-hand its impact on the audience. President Obama finished to a standing ovation, was interrupted more than 40 times with applause, and exited an auditorium of people chanting "O-Bah-Mah." The President electrified a cross section of Egyptian society in Cairo University's packed auditorium in a way few American leaders ever have.

How did the President of the United States, in the country with 2008's lowest approval rating for U.S. leadership, receive a rock star reception? What I heard from students, shopkeepers and the intellectual elites alike was that the President made them feel understood, even when they disagreed with him. They said Obama correctly identified and addressed the challenges dividing the U.S. from its Muslim majority counterparts, rather than ignoring or mischaracterizing them.

While much work lies ahead to turn raised global expectations into robust engagement, Obama's success in Cairo provides a valuable lesson in diplomacy: understanding perspectives we may not agree with makes us stronger, not weaker.

Attempting to cooperate with, influence, or even sell to publics we do not understand puts us at a strategic disadvantage versus those whose narratives we wish to counter. It is therefore in our national and economic interest to ask people directly what they think and listen carefully to their responses.

At Gallup, where I direct the Center for Muslim Studies, we do precisely this every day--measure and report what the world is thinking. While what we discover is not what some expect--or want to hear, denying these findings may help some score points with their ideological base, but only weakens our ability to meet our goals as a nation.

The new television series Who Speaks for Islam?, premiering on Link TV on Sunday, October 25th, explores many such findings on the attitudes of Muslims worldwide from the Gallup World Poll. The series will also stream in its entirety at LinkTV.org.

I experienced this first hand a few weeks ago when I spoke by phone on a UK based TV program called Muslimah Dilema. To my unpleasant surprise, I found out on air that I was joined by a member of Hizbul Tahrir (HT), a marginal but controversial group which denounces Western Democracy and calls for the creation of a pan-Islamic state in the Muslim world. The reaction to my reporting of Gallup's findings on Muslim views of democracy, gender and Shari'a (Islam's ethical and legal code) by both the HT representative and later the bloggers who've parsed my interview showed just how little either side was willing to understand the very people they so prolifically discuss.

The HT representative on the program dismissed or "reinterpreted" findings I presented so as to not challenge the group's simplistic utopian ideology which holds liberty in contempt as morally decadent. For example, as I regularly report, our research shows that far from denouncing democracy, Muslims around the world say it is among the things they most admire about the West, specifically mentioning "liberty" as a desirable attribute. Around the world, from Morocco to Malaysia, Muslim respondents described their respect for much of what the West holds dear: freedom of the press, the rule of law, and transparency and accountability of government.

As much as HT selectively ignored and exploited these findings to push their propaganda, many conservative pundits who diametrically oppose HT's vision of the world, did much the same. To them, my crime was that I reported that many Muslim women wanted sharia as a source of legislation. I also explained that Muslim women surveyed by Gallup said they believed they should have access to equal legal rights, free employment, voting without family influence, and even leadership positions in government. This suggests that many Muslim women see Sharia differently from those who use it to deny women rights. For simply stating results of survey research, I stood accused of "endorsing" Taliban-like rule, and downplaying the abuses done in the name of sharia.

Measuring and reporting what people believe does not mean agreement or endorsement. What it does mean is seeing the world as it is, not as we wish it to be. Factoring in this reality makes leaders stronger--their decisions are better informed, their communication is better targeted, and their outcomes are better anticipated. While some may find the facts inconvenient, the rest of us can benefit from our ability to engage in authentic dialogue, even when we disagree.

 

Comments

[Bariis]

You fascinated me with the article, Dalia. I look forward to reading more of your posts.

[justice2008]

The topic is very interesting but watching the show was tedious and boring at times. The guests and host agreed almost on every point that the show at times looked like a PR campaign.

[joz22]

Totally agree. Dalia is an interesting person but the TV show was a yawner.

[alexa07]

It was a rare opportunity to hear Muslims speak for themselves rather than having someone else impute opinions, rationalizations, motives et al to them. We are so accustomed to the latter that if we don't hear adversarial & rude questions from a usually biased journalist, it must be propaganda. I thought many of the questions to be probing, not necessarily that easy to answer. What I liked best was the ownership of an Arab-American & Muslim woman who spoke of "our" Constitution; "our" American ideals & "my" country. Same for Reza, a Muslim. LinkTV is a gem of a channel, putting to shame so much of what is foisted on us about the Middle East & its peoples by the usual media culprits.

[Lutfi]

I watch the program on Link TV, and its long over due and I would like to see more on other Cable and Network channels, a closed mind and heart in itself is a shame on all of us as a human being, and this is from a Muslim, who is a Palestinian, Arab, and American who have serviced my country as a US Marine Corp in the early 70's, and who have Friend's from various religious belief and have attended various places of worship as a guest and have mutual respect for all.

[MosheDayanHero]

"I stood accused of "endorsing" Taliban-like rule, and downplaying the abuses done in the name of sharia."
Quite incorrect.
The abuses are done not "in he name" of Sharia but DIRECTLY following Sharia oppressive laws.
And attempting to deflect the blame from religious fundamentalism and dogma,
one does great disservice to the idea progress in Islamic controlled countries.

[alexa07]

" . . . as I regularly report, our research shows that far from denouncing democracy, Muslims around the world say it is among the things they most admire about the West, specifically mentioning "liberty" as a desirable attribute. Around the world, from Morocco to Malaysia, Muslim respondents described their respect for much of what the West holds dear: freedom of the press, the rule of law, and transparency and accountability of government."

Thank you Dalia for all the work you do. I'll be watching LinkTV tonight. Your detractors will have their usual axes to grind about Islam, but the results of your survey belie many of the stereotypes about how Muslims around the world view the USA. Despite the military adventurism, partisan foreign policy, it is the American ideals that still shine out. We need to do a better job of making sure our leaders follow them, esp. in regard to the kinds of govts. we support in the region. Looking forward to your next blog.

[Horst]

Today, Sunni car bombers speak for Islam. Pathetic.

[yankees]

Keep up the good fight!

[PlaceboStudman]

A few points to make note of. The first is the author's emphasis on understanding. We must understand one another, and provide for one another based on what each other needs, not what we need or what we believe we can get out of helping them. President Obama knows this, clearly, and is doing his level best to understand what The Muslim World needs, so the US can better help and support them with their goals for their society.

Sadly, most people don't seem to care about anyone but themselves, so they end up helping based on their own misunderstanding and extrapolating from their own needs. The Muslim World needs infrastructure and economic stability, and this is where we can "help* them do what they ned to do to change their society, instead of us simply changing it for them by force.

The other comment I have is about the role of media. In today's Western society, reporting something IS seen as endorsing it, so it does not surprise me when people accuse others of something they don't understand, but since they dont understand, they attack the one reporting instead of looking for themself to try to understand, so those people can help The Muslim world build what they need.

(and for the record, there really is no "Muslim World". The muslims in Indonesia have completely different needs and priorities than the Muslims in Saudi Arabia)

[bismillah001]

Great to hear that this is being made into a series! LinkTV is always top quality!!

[S1m0n]

No one speaks for Christianity or Judaism, either.

[lightningbolt]

If so many Muslims want liberty, then they should overthrow their monarchs, their dictators, and the religious establishments that control them. They must separate mosque and state.

[longtimegone]

Overthrow the monarchs and dictators who would not cling to power but with "our" support and funding? Wouldn't that striving for freedom then put "them" in direct opposition to "us"? But, as I understand it, "we" only desire to see "them" finally liberated from that oppression and cannot fathom why "they" would have any reason to hate "us". While your proposition is phrased as if a logical syllogism, it is, in fact, laden with contradiction and burdened with political realities left wholly unacknowledged and, thus, unexamined.

[lightningbolt]

The U.S. has the ability to control both autocracies and democracies, so I doubt this would threaten U.S. power. In fact, democracies tend to be much friendlier to the U.S. than autocracies. Even the most fervent opposing democracies, like Venezuela, are not hostile and even trade with the U.S. Having democracies in the Middle East would also bring the free flow of information, which would liberalize the people and make it much harder for their religious establishments to spread hatred and racism into the minds of people.

[Inquisitr]

Why can't we all just agree that there is no god at all and move on?

The sooner we purge all religion from the world the sooner we can be done with silly violence and move on to important things.

And no I'm not singling out Islam, ALL religion needs to go and this is why.

Because this is what the author doesn't understand, it doesn't matter how many moderates there are, as long as the book is still taken as the word of god in any shape or form, how dare you tell a person he's wrong for taking it literally.

Moderates provide the cover for the extremists, in all cases of religion. Faith is not a virtue.

[MARNIE2]

..So you have... NO hope.... in the after life ......no heaven..... ? : (

[longtimegone]

The human penchant for violence and oppression does not originate in religion; it poisons and subverts religion. One would imagine that to "purge all religion from the world," would require an enormous outpouring of the same violence and oppression you intend to eradicate. Though religion, in the final days of the Kali Yuga, is, like all institutions, plagued by evil, it also instills in individuals the ethical, moral, and metaphysical impulse to repel evil. Strip religion from the world and human violence will be neither curbed nor eradicated, while the last institutional levees against the flood of the worst evil of which man is capable will no longer stand between you and the swiftly rising tide.

[Ben Dixon]

You are quite correct sir. Religion is an anchor that holds mankind back from acheiving it's full potentional.

[Thabit]

I am American , and i am muslim 6 years . It upsets me when i know people all over the world that are muslim and the sweetest people but time after time the west defines us all by 1 or 2 % of the billion+ muslims in the world . And no matter what we say or do the media does not want to hear it

[Tiger99]

It's not just the media... Just another message of our "god is better than your god", we've heard it all before... You claim the "West" defines you all by the actions of 2% of your believers, yet you are here in the "West" enjoying the Fruits of Freedom, Freedoms your religion would deny us all... Face it most of us just don't care what your message is because we know it is a message to send us backward to the Dark Ages... We get enough of that message from another religion based on the god of abraham claiming to be the one "true" message...

[Thabit]

My family came to america 250 years ago from scotland . my Fore fathers have fought for this land from the Revolution against britan until my nephews postings in Iraq and Afganistan . I myself served in the Army . Can you say as much . I earned to right for you to believe as you do and for me to believe as i do . As for your blanket claims , do you know a single muslim , have you ever sat down and talked to one without a chip on your shoulder. Have you ever Read anything in the Quran your self or are your opinions based on what the media alone has to say about us . So far your statements only proved mine and refuted your own

[Romulus]

Excellent post. Let's have more of them from you. :-)

[sloLes]

Of course, opening direct discussion, based upon real dialog, is why Obama has won the Noble prize, while so many of his countrymen think he has done nothing.

Now, if he will only understand that the West cannot turn the clock back to 2002 in Afghanistan. . .and re-focus upon Pakistan.

[riff4u]

Trying to undo the damage of the Bush administration will be a herculean task. Obama has a difficult job but at least he is off on the right foot.