Who Speaks for Islam? What a Billion Muslims Really Think
John L. Esposito and Dalia Mogahed, Gallup Press, New York, 2007
There is no shortage of ways of finding out about Islam. Since the “September 11” attack in 2001, there have been numerous lectures, public forums, inter-faith dialogues, “Muslim Awareness Weeks,” Mosque Open Days and book launches. There is even a show on SBS.
This book is different.
Gallup, a name we associate with election polling, has undertaken a massive global research study, interviewing over a billion Muslims from every corner of the globe. Gallup claims it’s the largest study of its kind ever undertaken.
They have put questions lurking in the Western mind to everyday Muslims – is Islam incompatible with democracy? Is Islam to blame for terrorism? What about oppression of Muslim women? What about jihad and suicide bombing? Are Muslims wanting to take over and install Sharia law? And so on.
I found the results sometimes surprising, often illuminating, and certainly an antidote to the impressions we get from the Media, driven, as it is, to sell news; or the rhetoric of politicians, often bent on re-election or dominance.
The book stands out because, even though the authors are distinguished American Muslims, it is not an advocacy for Islam. It is a very readable presentation of an impressive piece of research.
Gallup’s questions may have been framed to address deep anxieties in the West (read ‘America’), but I found myself thinking about the anxieties of my Muslim friends studying here in Australia. I understand more “where they are coming from.” I share their yearning for a more just world.
Who Speaks for Islam is an invaluable contribution to our understanding of Muslims and to the implications for world peace.
“In these fraught days of heightened tension and increasing hostility, few books could be more timely.” Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
Review by Geoff Boyce, Chaplain, Flinders University
Previously published in Insights, Magazine of the Uniting Church in Australia, Synod of NSW and the ACT