"Throughout, the volume employs and reports clearly about appropriate methodologies to engage important questions, rooting its topical and contemporary focus in a manner to enlarge the needed realm required for policy thinking. The editor has done a superb job orienting the book overall within accepted methods and questions central to comparative study in the social sciences." - Gordon L. Brown, Southwest Review of Asian Studies"After the horrific events of 9/11, a world wide debate raged about Islam, Muslims, politics, and terrorism. Much ofthe debate was marred by a priori ideological biases, partisan attitudes or even untested mega-civilizational generalization. This volume is one of the few fresh breakthroughs to the debate. It brings the reader a close-up of Muslims in the flesh, not as abstract mystified beings but as real agents of history and social change. The diversity of Muslim majority countries and themes covered by the surveys do a great deal to teach us of how 21st century Muslims feel and think about a host of central values and critical issues of our times. This volume is a must-read for all those who are seeking an enlightened, understanding of the 1.4 billion Muslims in the world today." - Saad Eddin Ibrahim, Professor of Political Sociology, The American University in Cairo, and Chairman, Ibn Khaldun Center for Developmental Studies"This book addresses one of the most pressing questions of comparative political behavior - the potential class of values between Western and Islamic publics. Based on national public opinion surveys from the newest wave of the World Values Survey, this study presents fascinating evidence on the relationship between Islamic values and democratic values in a large set of Islamic nations. Many of the findings will challenge conventional wisdom, suggesting the cultural basis for democratization in Islamic nations may be greater than currently presumed. This book is sure to evoke debate and discussion on the content of political culture in the Islamic world." - Russell J. Dalton, Founding Director, Center for the Study of Democracy, University of California, Irvine"The authors of theseinformative chaptersaddressa pressing need for sound knowledgeabout the Islamic worldby using the best data available to describe, probe, and analyze public opinion withinIslamic countries. This volume helps us to seemore clearly what these societies have in common with the West and with each other, and it helps us to understandmore deeplyhow they differ - from the West and from each other. Itis essential reading for allwho want to know aboutpublic opinion within the Islamicworld." - Mark Chaves, Professor of Sociology, University of Arizona
