
The Arab world is increasingly abandoning religion in response to Islamism, but misogyny, homophobia and approval for 'honour killings' is still rife, research shows.

Those who identified as 'not religious' rose from 8% to 13% in the last six years among 25,000 people surveyed across North Africa and the Middle East by the Arab Barometer.

The change was highlighted in the regions involved in the Arab Spring with a marked change in Tunisia, Libya and Egypt.

The data suggests a backlash against the Islamist factions who have sought to establish themselves after overthrowing secular tyrants.

Muslim worshippers perform Eid al-Fitr prayers at the Grand Mosque in the Saudi holy city of Mecca earlier this month

Iranian women take part in an Eid-al Fitr prayer ceremony at the shrine of Abdol Azim in the city of Shahre-Ray, Iran, earlier this month

However despite the drop in faith, there were still widely held outdated attitudes towards women, homosexuality and 'honour killings.'

The majority of people across the Arab world believed in the right of women to serve as a president or prime minister, however in domestic life a majority of husbands felt a man should have the final say in family decisions.

'Opinions regarding women's rights and their roles in society are progressing unevenly in the Middle East and North Africa,' said Aseel Alayli of Arab Barometer.

'There is little agreement that women should play equal roles in public or private life.'

Researchers found that support for 'honour killings' - where relatives kill a family member, typically a woman, who is seen as having dishonoured the family - was greater than support for homosexuality for many of the respondents.

Acceptance of being gay is low across the Middle East, the study found, with Algeria, where 26% of people deem it acceptable to be gay, the most tolerant country.

In addition, 27% of Algerian respondents believed 'honour killings' were acceptable, more than those who thought homosexuality was.

Despite its reputation for social liberalism, only 6% of Lebanese people believed homosexuality was acceptable, while just 5% accepted 'honour killings.'

An Afghan policeman stands guard as Muslim devotees offer prayers at the start of the Eid al-Fitr holiday in Khost province

Muslim worshippers perform Eid al-Fitr prayers at the Grand Mosque in the Saudi holy city of Mecca earlier this month

'Many people in the Middle East believe one's sexuality can be changed, and would wish to see gay people change accordingly,' said Neela Ghoshal, senior researcher on LGBT+ Rights for Human Rights Watch.

Religious and political leaders should do more to speak out in support of LGBT+ rights, Ghoshal told the Thomson Reuters Foundation, adding that LGBT+ activists faced a particularly difficult task building movements in the region.

LGBT+ relationships are illegal across most of the Middle East and North Africa, and gay people often risk fines, jail and even the possibility of death, according to Human Rights Watch.

Several Gulf governments including Saudi Arabia refused 'full and fair access' to the survey, according to BBC Arabic News.

The conservative kingdom has long been a focus for women's rights in the region and was applauded for lifting the world's last ban on women driving in 2018.

But optimism about women's rights has been tempered by the detention of prominent Saudi female activists who have campaigned to end a guardianship system whereby women must seek permission from a male relative to work and travel.

Iranians take part in an Eid-al Fitr prayer ceremony at the shrine of Abdol Azim in the city of Shahre-Ray, Iran

Huge numbers of young people have considering emigrating, with more than half of 18 to 29-year-olds in Algeria, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine and Tunisia saying they had thought about moving.

Large proportions of those youngsters - 40% in Algeria and 38% in Iraq - said they would be prepared to leave without official documentation.

Europe was the first port of call for North Africans, while those in Egypt, Sudan and Yemen preferred the Middle East, the study showed.