Arabs are turning their backs on religion in record numbers ‘in backlash against Islamists’
A RISING number of people from Arabic countries are turning their back on religion in a “backlash against Islamists”.
In the last six years political turmoil and war have caused a loss of faith, particularly in young people, a poll has revealed.
The finding is one of a number on how Arabs feel about a wide range of issues, from women’s rights and migration to security and sexuality.
Researchers surveyed residents of ten countries and the Palestinian territories whether they identified as “non-religious”.
The survey of over 25,000 people, conducted by the Arab Barometer research network at Princeton University for the BBC’s Arabic service, left out Syria for safety reasons.
And most Gulf countries were excluded as they refused what the BBC described as “full and fair access”.
LOSING THEIR RELIGION
The number of people under 30 who answered as non-religious rose from eight per cent to 18 percent in the year 2012-13.
They also reported a loss of trust in religious leaders and political parties.
Egypt, Libya and Tunisia, the “Arab Spring” countries, saw three of the four biggest rises in non-believers.
These results suggest the rise of Islamist parties after the overthrow of secular dictators caused people to be put off religion altogether.
In 2013, the Muslim Brotherhood’s President Morsi was overthrown by the Egyptian army after a year in office.
Meanwhile Libya experienced a civil war between Brotherhood-leaning, jihadist and anti-Brotherhood factions.
In a region where often public opinion polls are so difficult to conduct, given state interference, it’s useful to see data of this nature
HA Hellyer
Tunisia succeeded in creating a democratic government but the moderate Islamist Ennahda party lost power after winning the first elections.
After his attempt to ban Muslims from the US, President Donald Trump is now seen positively by 12 per cent of those asked, according to the survey.
President Putin of Russia was more popular than Mr Trump in every country surveyed, regardless of whether they pursued pro or anti-US policies.
HA Hellyer, who writes about religion and politics for the Royal United Services Institute, said: “In a region where often public opinion polls are so difficult to conduct, given state interference, it’s useful to see data of this nature.
“In Egypt Putin outshines Trump. There’s a lot to be said about that, considering that Trump has expressed a lot of support for Egypt’s present regime, as Putin has, but Putin comes out way ahead.”
Security remains a concern for many in the Middle East and North Africa.
When asked which countries posed the biggest threat to their stability and national security, after Israel, the US was identified as the second biggest threat in the region as a whole, and Iran was third.
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