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Common Ground or Conflict

A global poll conducted for BBC World Service suggests that the world is not headed towards an inevitable and wide-ranging clash of civilizations. The majority surveyed believe problems between the West and Islam are “about political power and interests, not religion and culture,” says Doug Miller, president of GlobeScan, the group responsible for the poll.

Overall, 52 percent of the 5,000 Muslims surveyed say it’s possible to find common ground, including majorities in Lebanon, Egypt, Nigeria, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates. Only in Indonesia do a slim majority of Muslims take the view that violent conflict is inevitable. Survey results also show that most people would back efforts by their leaders to find practical solutions based on “the values shared by all communities.”