Note the involvement of American Protestant churches in this region — not dissimilar to Saudi-funded Salafi preachers in the West…

(Via BNR.)

importance of religion in one’s life - very important
national : 59%
muslims : 72%

frequency of attendance at religious services - more than once a week
national: 15%
muslims: 17%

frequency of prayer - day
national: 58%
muslims: 71%

frequency of receiving answers to prayers - at least once a week
national: 19%
muslims: 31%

literal interp. of scriptures - word of god, literally true word for word
national - 33%
muslims - 50%

interp. religious teachings - there is ONE true way to interpret teachings of my religion
national - 27%
muslims - 33%

views of one’s religion as one true faith -my religion is the one, true faith leading to eternal life
national - 25%
muslims - 33%

Belief in God or Universal Spirit - Do not believe in god

evangelical xtian - 0%
mainline xtian - 1%
historically black denom - 0%
catholics - 1%
mormons - 0%
orthodox - 4%
jews - 10%
muslims - 5%
buddhists - 19%
hindus -5%

what’s going on here? i was a bit surprised by the fact that 5% of muslims said they didn’t believe in god…but, i believe like judaism and hinduism islam in the united states is a minority religion which has ethno-cultural saliences for people raised in that tradition. therefore, the tendency to continue to identify as muslims in some way despite an open admission of atheism.

I have a sneaking suspicion that much of the state religious intolerance we see in the ME these days is a smokescreen for the paranoia of authoritarian regimes. Dictators and kings seem to view any organized minority group as a potential source of unrest and a threat to their power. In Egypt, the state pretends it’s shutting out the Baha’i under pressure from fundamentalists (which do exist in Egypt in abundance, a fact the state cleverly manipulates to keep its western allies a) afraid and b) out of Egypt’s business) when really it’s because the Baha’i are a mobile, organized, monied minority. What you don’t here is that the Mubarak regime is also trying to make it illegal to be in a rock band, and routinely arrests rockers–because as we all know, rockers are also an organized, vocal, anti-authoritarian group. Both Baha’i and rock musicians are generally well-tolerated by the public. The same goes for Egypt’s large Bohra community. When I was in Alexandria a few years ago, the (Sunni) officials at the mosque of Nabi Daniel actually closed the building to passerby while the Bohra were conducting a prayer inside. But mark my words, if there’s ever a hint of a rumor that the Bohra are agents for a foreign government or fomenting opposition, there will suddenly be “religious pressure” to drive them underground.

Just one more reason to disestablish the Church.

No call to prayer in the ear, not raised as a Muslim, born to an atheist father, and then abandoned to a Christian mother both by father and his family, equals not Muslim. Obama is right to say he had no religion until he became a Christian.

(also see the works of richard elliott friedman)

* we = people interested in stuff