A magazine of forecasts, trends, and ideas about the future
November-December 2007 Vol. 41, No. 6
| World Trends | & Forecasts |
Society
Iraqi Values Shift Toward the Secular
Popular support for a religious government appears to be declining in Iraq, according to data from the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research.
Political values are increasingly secular and nationalistic, says sociologist Mansoor Moaddel. "Iraqis have a strong sense of national identity that transcends religious and political lines," he says. "The recent outpouring of national pride at the Asian Cup victory of the Iraqi soccer team showed that this sense of national pride remains strong, despite all the sectarian strife and violence."More than half of the Iraqis surveyed in March 2007 described themselves as "Iraqi, above all," rather than "Muslim" or "Arab"; a year earlier, just 28% described themselves that way. National identity was more pronounced in Baghdad, where three-fourths of Iraqis identified themselves primarily in terms of country rather than religion.
"This is a much higher proportion than we found in other Middle Eastern capitals," says Moaddel.
Support for a religiously based government is also declining, according to the study. One-third of those surveyed in March 2007 strongly agreed that "Iraq would be a better place if religion and politics were separated," compared with less than one-fourth in December 2004. And there was a significant increase in the percentages of Iraqis giving six religious political parties very unfavorable ratings.
"The escalating violence in Iraq gives a bleak impression of that country's future," Moaddel says. "Sectarian conflict seems to be increasing on a daily basis, with militias massacring hundreds of Sunnis and Shi'is solely on the basis of their religious identities. Yet it would be a mistake to think that this bloodlust represents widespread sentiment among Iraqis as a whole. While neither American nor Iraqi security officials have yet found a way to tame the militias, the Iraqi public is increasingly drawn toward a vision of a democratic, nonsectarian government for the country."--Cynthia G. Wagner.
Source: University of Michigan, News Service, 412 Maynard Street, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109. Web site www.umich.edu/~newsinfo .To order the print edition of the November-December 2007 issue of THE FUTURIST or to become a member of the World Future Society ($49 per year).
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