A new study reveals what Islam means in different countries

ISLAMIC law, in many eyes, has overtones of rigid puritanism. Yet some of its staunchest backers are also strong supporters of religious pluralism, reports the Pew Research Centre, a think-tank, in a survey of 38,000 Muslims conducted in 39 countries. In Morocco 78% of respondents think that non-Muslims are very free to practice their faith there, and 79% of those think this is “a good thing”. Yet 83% want sharia enshrined in law. A majority of Thais (77%) and Pakistanis (84%) yearn for Islamic law too. But most also say that other religions are very free to worship (79% and 75% respectively)—and they agree that this is, overwhelmingly, “a good thing”. Religious freedom, however, is a slippery term, with implications for individuals and for the collective practice of faith. Muslims in some countries both strongly approve of religious freedom—and support the death penalty for apostates from Islam. Three-quarters of Pakistanis who favour sharia do. Views vary over how sharia should be applied. Tunisian backers, though keen on religious judges (62%), have far less appetite for executing apostates (29%). And those countries where most support sharia are not always its strictest followers. Though around three-quarters endorse it in both Indonesia and Egypt, less than half of those Indonesians support stoning for adultery; in Egypt, 81% do. Yet 74% of Egyptians who favour sharia also think it should apply to non-Muslims, the highest proportion among polled countries.