Who Will Speak for Islam?

Abstract

At the heart of the moving puzzle the world faces over the next quarter century are the diverse Muslim populations, collectively known as the Global Muslim Community. Spanning the globe and speaking nearly every language, they are united by one faith Islam. Collectively, they make up one-fifth of the world's population and sit on 75 percent of its oil wealth. Understanding the emerging trends of these societies is perhaps the world's leading strategic imperative. But who will speak for Islam in the future on democracy, the role of or violence? Over six years ending in 2007, the Gallup organization undertook more than 50,000 interviews (representative of the 1.3 billion Muslims who reside in more than 35 nations with majority or significant Muslim populations) in an effort to explore current trends and examine the future. The results, reflective of more than 90 percent of the world's Muslim community, are the end product of the most comprehensive survey of its kind ever conducted; they defy conventional wisdom and the inevitability of a global conflict even as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan continue. Dealing a blow to the foundations of the clash of civilizations theory, our data shows a strong Muslim affinity for democratic values. Far from hating Americans for their freedom, Muslims around the world describe and admire the Western tradition of democratic governance, while seeing their faith as a source of progress and balance. Allowed the political space, leaders drawing both on democracy and Islam's rich tradition will overshadow secular liberals and conservative theocrats as the leaders of tomorrow. These Muslim democrats will appeal to Islam's self-image of to argue for minority rights, gender justice, and the rule of law. The focus will be heavily on economic development and job creation through free trade and entrepreneurship. This evolving future will find women at the forefront. Women comprise the majority of university students in several countries, and the percentage of women in Iran, Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates (uae), and Egypt that attends university is on a par with that of Western Europe and South Korea. These women tell us that they expect their full rights and see their religion as essential to progress. Instead of a misogynistic corpus of ossified medieval edicts, Muslim women see their sacred law as a vibrant work in progress. They associate shariah compliance with justice for women,