Abu Dhabi Gallup Center (ADGC) brings together thought leaders to examine crucial global issues affecting Muslims worldwide and to release new results from the only systematic global measure of the health of Muslim-West relations

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, 8 December 2011 - His Royal Highness Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad of Jordan delivered a powerful keynote address this evening on the first day of the inaugural Abu Dhabi Gallup Forum at Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort. The forum, a gathering of thought leaders to focus on empirical social research regarding crucial global issues, seeks to provide evidence-based recommendations for policymakers, civil society, and the private sector.

"In the wake of regional unrest, now more than ever it is essential to provide evidence-based recommendations to policymakers across the globe on key issues that affect Muslim communities," said Dalia Mogahed, ADGC Director and Senior Analyst. "The experts gathered at this forum and the recommendations derived from it, along with the Gallup Muslim-West Perceptions Index (MWPI), will provide much-needed direction in a changing world."

The launch of the MWPI -- the only systematic global assessment of the health of Muslim-West relations -- was a highlight of the forum. The MWPI measures global views of Muslim-West relations and the drivers of these opinions based on more than 45,000 interviews conducted in more than 45 countries.

Following His Royal Highness Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad of Jordan keynote address, Mogahed presented the initial findings and recommendations from the MWPI, including: 

  • Residents in sub-Saharan African countries (Senegal - 88, Mauritania - 84, Mali - 82) and Gulf countries are among the most positive about Muslim-West relations. Majority Muslim societies that see the West as a source of aid, but also those that look to West as a trade partner are most positive about Muslim-West relations.

  • Perceptions of the U.S. and hope, not religion, shape views of Muslim-West relations. Of all the MWPI variables Gallup researchers tested, only two were linked to how publics viewed Muslim-West relations-- approval of U.S. leadership and a positive assessment of one's future.

  • Better relations between Muslims and the West may have roots in the Arab Spring: Ahead of this year's inaugural MWPI, ADGC researchers in 2010 piloted the same questions in a number of key countries and found the greatest improvement from 2010 to 2011 in Tunisia, Egypt, and Bahrain. 

"We can see that issues such as aid, trade partnerships, hope, and the Arab Spring have a major impact on the state of Muslim-West relations," Mogahed remarked as she presented the MWPI results to an audience of ministers, ambassadors, and global thought leaders.

The forum delved deeper into these findings in a public discussion titled, "Muslim-West Relations in Light of the Arab Awakening," led by Dr. H.A. Hellyer, ADGC Senior Practice Consultant, and panelists Mogahed, Sheykh Hamza Yusuf, Professor, Zaytuna; Dr. Malek Twal, Secretary General of the Ministry of Political Development, Jordan; and Bill Spindle, Middle East Bureau Chief, The Wall Street Journal.

ADGC collaborated with five leading institutions to convene working groups for the forum, with recommendations to be publically released in the weeks ahead. These collaborating organizations and their working papers include:

  • University of Toronto and Birzeit University working on Citizen Inclusion in the Arab World

  • American University of Beirut - Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs working on Youth in the Arab World

  • Harvard University Center for Middle Eastern Studies - Islam in the West Program working on Western Muslim Integration

  • Sciences Po (Paris) working on Political Violence

  • The Aspen Institute working on Role of Public-Private Partnerships in Strengthening Relations Between the West and Muslim Communities

Complete results from the MWPI are available online at www.abudhabigallupcenter.com.

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About the Abu Dhabi Gallup Center
The Abu Dhabi Gallup Center is a Gallup research hub based in the capital of the United Arab Emirates. It is the product of a partnership between Gallup, the world's leading public opinion research firm, and the Crown Prince Court of Abu Dhabi.

Building on Gallup's seminal work in the field of Muslim studies, the Abu Dhabi Gallup Center (ADGC) offers unmatched research on the attitudes and aspirations of Muslims around the world. In addition to its worldwide scope, the ADGC focuses on the specific priorities of its regional base and presents innovative analysis and insights on the most important societal challenges facing the United Arab Emirates and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).

© Press Release 2011