Separation of religion and politics, comparing Arabs to Americans

The Arab Opinion Index 2011 from the Doha Institute, the first of its kind, provides incredibly useful data on the social outlook of Arabs across the Arab world. In a time in which the world is increasingly anxious about the rise of Islamists in Arab countries, it may be useful to keep some perspective on the support of secularism.

The poll asked many questions about the role of religion in society, allowing us to compare Arab responses with American responses. The results may be surprising:

Sources: Pew poll, March 2012. Q.58 In your opinion, should churches and other houses of worship [RANDOMIZE: keep out of political
matters; express their views on day-to-day social and political questions] – or should they
[INSERT OTHER OPTION]?

Doha Institute, Arab Opinion Index 2011. Q. 48. Respondents trends supporting or opposing the statement: “It is in the country’s best interest to separate religion from politics”