AAI/ZOGBY Poll:  Muslims Across Globe Concerned About Crisis in Darfur

Majorities in six countries surveyed believe Muslims should be equally concerned about Darfur as the Arab-Israeli conflict

More than three quarters of Muslim respondents in six nations surveyed said they believe Arabs and Muslims should be equally concerned about the situation in Darfur as they are about the Arab-Israeli conflict, according to the results of a recent poll unveiled at the Arab Broadcast Forum in Abu Dhabi. Results ranged from a high of 95% in Morocco to 76% in Turkey.

Click here for the full poll report

Additionally, strong majorities in each of the six nations support the intervention of other Muslim nations in Darfur, said James Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute and a key architect of the poll.

The poll, conducted by AAI and Zogby International and commissioned by the Save Darfur Coalition, surveyed more than 4,000 Muslims in six nations - Egypt, Morocco, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates - regarding their attitudes toward the humanitarian crisis in Darfur. 

“The poll shatters the myth that Arabs and Muslims don’t care about Darfur,” Zogby said. “While they fault news coverage for not being extensive enough, Arabs and Muslims feel compelled by the images and stories they see coming out of Darfur. The poll clearly illustrates a great degree of concern among Muslims, even rivaling that of another longstanding issue to Arabs and Muslims, the Arab-Israel conflict.”

Among some of the findings:

Majorities of respondents in five of the six nations report being concerned about the ongoing crisis in Darfur. In the only country where a majority is not concerned, Egypt, 35% report they have great concern or some concern.

Strong majorities in each of the six nations support the intervention of other Muslim nations in Darfur. Only one quarter or less of respondents in each nation believes the crisis to be an internal Sudanese matter. There is consensus among respondents in all six nations when asked if they agree that their country should do more to help in Darfur. Rates are particularly high in Morocco (94%), Saudi Arabia (91%) and Malaysia (91%).

Asked about U.S. responsibility, majorities in five of the six nations believe the U.S. to be responsible-the one exception being Malaysia. This attitude toward the U.S. was particularly high in Egypt (68%) and Turkey (80%). The high level of responsibility attributed to the American government confirms the widespread distrust of the U.S. and limits the ability of the U.S. to play a direct positive role.

The survey also reveals what sentiments most positively influence respondents’ support for intervention in Darfur, what international involvement policies were most strongly supported, their view of the role of the Arab media in the crisis, and more.  Full results of the poll report are available at http://www.aaiusa.org.

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Founded in 1985, the Arab American Institute (AAI) is a nonprofit organization committed to the civic and political empowerment of Americans of Arab descent.  AAI provides policy, research and public affairs services to support a broad range of community activities.

For more information on AAI, please visit http://www.aaiusa.org.