The Islamic Education and Research Academy (IERA) has published research on non-Muslim perceptions of Islam and Muslims. Researched and written by Hamza Andreas Tzortzis, Dr. Iman Khalaf & Sadia Salam, the summary of the research highlights facts such as:
5% described Islamic dawah material as quite positive and very positive.
71% had never come into contact with any dawah material.
70% did not change their perceptions about Islam after coming into contact with dawah material. 14% slightly worsened or significantly worsened.
76% had never spoken to a Muslim about Islam.
63% had no change in their perception after interacting with a Muslim. 13% had perceptions that significantly worsened or slightly worsened.
62% preferred not to receive any information about religion.
27% had negative perceptions regarding Muslims
75% believed Islam and Muslims had provided a negative contribution to society
32% believed that Muslims are a major cause of community tension
2% responded positively concerning perceptions about Islamic law
76% did not agree to the statement that Muslims positively engage in society
36% did not know who the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon
him) was
61% did not respond positively when asked about the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)
71% of all participants did not agree that the media is negatively biased towards Islam and Muslims
63% did not disagree to the statement that “Muslims are terrorists”
70% did not disagree with the statement “Muslims preach hatred”
94% did not disagree with the statement “Islam oppresses women”
86% did not disagree with the statement “Islam is outdated”
72% did not agree with the statement “Muslims are law abiding”
85% did not disagree with the statement “Islam is irrational”
71% did not agree with the statement “Muslims are peaceful”
73% did not disagree with the statement “Islam cannot positively contribute to modern society”
You can read the full research paper here
5% described Islamic dawah material as quite positive and very positive.
71% had never come into contact with any dawah material.
70% did not change their perceptions about Islam after coming into contact with dawah material. 14% slightly worsened or significantly worsened.
76% had never spoken to a Muslim about Islam.
63% had no change in their perception after interacting with a Muslim. 13% had perceptions that significantly worsened or slightly worsened.
62% preferred not to receive any information about religion.
27% had negative perceptions regarding Muslims
75% believed Islam and Muslims had provided a negative contribution to society
32% believed that Muslims are a major cause of community tension
2% responded positively concerning perceptions about Islamic law
76% did not agree to the statement that Muslims positively engage in society
36% did not know who the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon
him) was
61% did not respond positively when asked about the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)
71% of all participants did not agree that the media is negatively biased towards Islam and Muslims
63% did not disagree to the statement that “Muslims are terrorists”
70% did not disagree with the statement “Muslims preach hatred”
94% did not disagree with the statement “Islam oppresses women”
86% did not disagree with the statement “Islam is outdated”
72% did not agree with the statement “Muslims are law abiding”
85% did not disagree with the statement “Islam is irrational”
71% did not agree with the statement “Muslims are peaceful”
73% did not disagree with the statement “Islam cannot positively contribute to modern society”
You can read the full research paper here
