The fast growth of irreligion in the Arab World
A survey of more than 25 thousand people in ten Arabic nations discovered that trust in religious leaders decreased in the Arab world in recent years.
A survey of more than 25 thousand people in ten Arabic nations, organized by Arab Barometer and Princeton University, discovered that trust in religious leaders decreased in the Arab world in recent years. Moreover, the proportion of people considering themselves as “not religious” rose from 11 percent in 2012–2014 to 18 percent this year.
For example, in Tunisia now, youth (47%) are as expected to say they are not religious. But Tunisians even the youth believe in god and acknowledge themselves Muslim, just not practicing Muslims. It should be noted that when “not religious” is interpreted into Arabic as “not very religious.” The criterion for religiosity is way higher in the Arab world than in the Western world.
Someone who visits the mosque once a week and not five times a day might identify himself “not religious.” For comparison, someone who goes to church once a week in Europe would recognize himself “religious.”
According to the survey, 77% of all Arabs say that they pray every day while half of Muslims listen or read to the Quran daily. At the same time, 2/3 of Muslim men visiting the mosque only once a week. The amount of really irreligious people like atheists in the Arabic world is also multiplying.
The map below shows percentage of population of Arab countires describing themselves as ‘not religious’.
