A worldwide Gallup poll shows that in spite of mutual suspicion and distrust, the Muslim and Western worlds see the development of closer relations as a benefit, and not a threat.

New York (AsiaNews/Agencies) - Billions of Muslims and Westerners maintain that dialogue and coexistence are important factors for the common good.  This is the result of a vast survey conducted between 2005 and 2007 by the Gallup Organization, one of the most authoritative research and survey institutes worldwide.  The study, carried out in 130 countries on five continents, gathered information on how Muslims view relations with the Western world, and vice versa.

Some of the results are unexpected, while others confirm mutual suspicion and distrust.  Three out of four Americans believe that the Muslim world is not committed to improving relations with the West; the same proportion as seen among the Palestinians, who attribute the same apathy to Western countries.  Italy (58%) Denmark (52%) and Spain (50%) agree with the United States.  Israel represents an exception: about two thirds of those interviewed (64%) believe that Muslims truly want better relations with the rest of the world.  Most of the Islamic nations in the Middle East think that the West is not committed to building better relations.  Many Muslims - Palestinians (84%) Egyptians (60%) Saudis (67%) Iranians (62%) - believe that the West does not respect their values.  The same sentiment is found among Westerners - Italians (70%) Canadians (67%) and Swedes and (54%) - who do not believe they are respected by Islam.

In spite of the low level of reciprocal trust, most of the countries studied - both Western and Muslim - are convinced that dialogue between the two worlds is "important".  In some countries, like Italy, Denmark, the United States, Belgium, Canada, Spain, and Israel, the proportion is well over half.  In the Middle East and Asia, most Muslims believe that greater interaction with the West is a benefit rather than a threat.  The results from Iran are noteworthy, where 70% of the population sees a good relationship with the Western world as important for the well-being of the country.  In Turkey, 64% of those interviewed hold this view.  In both cases, the data can be explained by the political and economic situation: Iranians are fearful about the threat of a United States military intervention, and the Turks are trying to enter the European union.

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