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Dalia Mogahed spoke at July's Common Word Conference at Yale University, where hundreds of moderate Muslims and evangelical Christian scholars met seeking better understanding. As senior analyst and executive director of the Gallup Center for Muslim Studies, Mogahed travels widely, engaging audiences on what Muslims think. Her analysis has appeared in The Economist, The Financial Times, and The Wall Street Journal. Mogahed, a Muslim, lives in Washington, D.C., with her husband and two sons. Also attending the conference was Warren Larson, director of the Zwemer Center for Muslim Studies at Columbia International University and author of Islamic Ideology and Fundamentalism in Pakistan: Climate for Conversion to Christianity?

Here, Larson interviews Mogahed about the book she coauthored with John Esposito, Who Speaks For Islam? What a Billion Muslims Really Think (Gallup Press, 2008). The idea for the book was born shortly after 9/11, when Donald Rumsfeld was asked how Muslims felt about the attacks on the U.S. He replied, "I don't know; it's not like you can take a Gallup poll." The survey covered 90 percent of the global Muslim population on, among other things, Muslims' views of democracy, extremism, jihad, and women's rights, and Americans' views of Islam.

What surprised you most in your findings?

It was how much Americans and residents of majority-Muslim countries have in common. This flies in the face of conventional wisdom that paints a picture of an inherently conflict-ridden relationship. Americans are as likely, for example, as Iranians to say religious leaders should have no part in crafting a constitution. We found that 57 percent of Americans think the Bible should have at least some role in legislation. (Nine percent think it should be the sole source.) This is similar to many majority-Muslim countries where people don't want theocracy and don't favor religious leaders being in control, but they do want legislation informed by religious values.

What do Muslim women say about Shari'ah [Islamic law]?

Muslim women and men, surprisingly, hold similar views about Shari'ah. In Jordan, most Muslim women and men say it should play a role in legislation. Muslim women want and think they deserve equal rights: the right to vote without interference from their families, the right to work at any job they are qualified for, and even the right to serve in senior levels of government. In short, Muslim women don't regard Shari'ah as impeding their rights; they may in fact see it as a road to progress.

Didn't Ontario's government recently disallow Islamic law because Muslim women opposed it?

In the absence of representative survey research, we cannot make that assessment. The government was actually led to believe Muslim women didn't want it, but we can't be sure. Often a vocal, well-organized minority speaks for everyone and claims that it's the opinion of the majority. For example, a Washington Post article claimed Iraqi women were outraged and against Islamic law. Our research in Iraq shows 83 percent of Iraqi women say they do not want a division between state and religion, and most want religious leaders to take a part in family law.

What stereotypes does your book challenge?

[One is that] Muslims allegedly reject democratic values, when in fact they admire them and wish they had more of those values implemented in their own governments. A second popular stereotype is that the conflict between the Muslim world and the West is about a clash of values, a rejection of modernity. What Americans admire about themselves—democracy, technology, ingenuity—is what Muslims admire most about America.

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November 2008, Vol. 52, No. 11