Pew Global Attitudes Project

The Great Divide

How Westerners and Muslims View Each Other

June 22, 2006

There is a considerable divide between people in the West and those in predominantly Muslim countries. Many in the West see Muslims as fanatical, violent, and as lacking tolerance. Meanwhile, Muslims in the Middle East and Asia generally see Westerners as selfish, immoral and greedy - as well as violent and fanatical.

The latest survey by the Pew Global Attitudes Project, conducted among roughly 14,000 people in 13 nations, finds that publics of predominantly Muslim nations have an aggrieved view of the West - they are much more likely than Americans or Western Europeans to blame Western policies for their own lack of prosperity. Generally, Muslim publics feel much more embittered toward people in the West than vice versa.

Large percentages in nearly every Muslim country attribute several negative traits to Westerners. In one of the survey's most striking findings, majorities in Indonesia, Turkey, Egypt, and Jordan say that they do not believe groups of Arabs carried out the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Anti-Jewish sentiment remains overwhelming in predominantly Muslim countries.

For their part, Westerners are broadly skeptical of Muslim values. Many Westerners - including solid majorities of the general publics in Germany and Spain - say that there is a conflict between being a devout Muslim and living in a modern society. And Westerners are less optimistic about the prospects for democracy in the Muslim world than are Muslims themselves.

Other key findings include:

European Muslims' More Moderate Outlook

For the first time, the Global Attitudes Project conducted interviews with Muslim minorities in four Western European countries - Great Britain, Spain, Germany and France. While Europe's Muslim minorities are about as likely as Muslims elsewhere to see relations between Westerners and Muslims as generally bad, they more often associate positive attributes to Westerners - including tolerance, generosity, and respect for women. European Muslims also are less likely than non-Muslims in Europe to believe that there is a conflict between modernity and being a devout Muslim.

Muslim Support for Terrorism has Declined

In Jordan, Pakistan and Indonesia, there have been substantial declines in the percentages saying suicide bombings and other forms of violence against civilian targets can be justified to defend Islam against its enemies. The shift has been especially dramatic in Jordan, likely in response to the devastating terrorist attack in Amman last year; 29% of Jordanians view suicide attacks as often or sometimes justified, down from 57% in May 2005.

Flashpoints in Relations

Western publics, by lopsided margins, do not think of Muslims as "respectful of women." In turn, Muslims in predominantly Muslim countries say the same about Westerners. And perhaps no issue highlights the divide between Muslims and the West more clearly than their responses to the uproar this past winter over cartoon depictions of Muhammad. Muslim publics blame the controversy on Western nations' disrespect for the Islamic religion. In contrast, majorities of Americans and Western Europeans more often say Muslims' intolerance to different points of view is more to blame.

Read the full report at pewglobal.org