Survey: Globalisation not taboo for Muslims

A poll conducted by WorldPublicOpinion.org in predominantly Muslim countries found that local populations view international trade as a positive force for growth and development, running counter to Western perceptions about the Muslim world.

The survey was carried out among 5,212 citizens from countries as diverse as Egypt, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Iran, Indonesia and the Palestinian Territories. 

Almost two thirds of respondents said they see globalisation, understood as the increasing interconnectedness of local economies, as mostly good for their own countries. 

The survey’s results runs counter to widespread assumptions about the Muslim world, which is often represented as fiercely opposed to any form of globalisation as a kind of forced “Westernisation”. 

Approval was found to be highest in Egypt (79%), but prevails in most societies covered by the survey. However, in Turkey, one of the most Westernised Muslim countries and which aspires to EU membership, support for open trade policies does not appear to enjoy a clear majority. Only 39% of Turks think globalisation is “mostly good”, while 28% believe it is “mostly bad”, according to WorldPublicOpinion.org. 

Asked to express their opinion about the effects of international trade on their daily lives, respondents showed they perceive it as an opportunity to boost their respective national economies (64%), consumers (63%), job creation (61%) and living standards (56%). 

The poll also found general support for the inclusion of minimum standards for environmental protection (84%) and working conditions (80%) in international trade agreements. 

Muslims are increasingly aware of and interested in the economic opportunities created by globalisation in developing countries, with only 25% of respondents describing globalisation as a predominantly bad phenomenon. 

Popular hostility to globalisation is much higher in the developed world, whose economic and commercial supremacy has come to be challenged by East Asian countries such as China and India but also increasingly by the Muslim world. 

A recently published Eurobarometer survey, entitled ‘Expectations of European citizens regarding the social reality in 20 years’ time’ and published in May 2008, shows that a majority of Europeans (57%) believe that in the medium term, people will earn less than today as a direct result of globalisation and increased competition from emerging economies. 

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