Turkey

Role of Sharia: A Fault Line in Turkish Society

Turks who want no legal role for Sharia are not openly hostile to it

August 7, 2008

Gallup Poll findings underscore the broad secular-religious divide that has come to define Turkey, but they also reveal that among Turks who see no role for Sharia in legislation, only minorities associate Islamic law with negative attributes.More ...

Many Turks, Iranians, Egyptians Link Sharia and Justice

Egyptians most likely to make positive associations with Sharia

July 25, 2008

Gallup Poll findings show that among those who think Sharia must be a source of legislation in Iran, Egypt, and Turkey, many respondents associate it with positive attributes.More ...

Istanbul Attack Underscores Poor U.S. Image

Two in three Turks disapprove of U.S. leadership, consider it hostile

July 11, 2008

The terrorist attacks on the U.S. consulate in Istanbul Wednesday underscore the negative image the United States has in Turkey and around the globe. Only 16% of Turks interviewed in 2007 said they approve of U.S. leadership and 64% consider it hostile toward Turkey.More ...

Iranians, Egyptians, Turks: Contrasting Views on Sharia

In Egypt, 64% think Sharia must be the only source of legislation

July 10, 2008

Gallup Polls conducted in Iran, Egypt, and Turkey offer three contrasting views of the role of Sharia in national law. About two-thirds of Egyptians think Sharia must be the only source of legislation, compared with 14% of Iranians and fewer than 1 in 10 Turks who say the same.More ...

Headscarves and Secularism: Voices From Turkish Women

Only 14% of Turks associate the headscarf with fanaticism

February 8, 2008

The recent proposal in Turkey to lift the ban on headscarves in state universities has struck a political nerve. A 2007 Gallup Poll shows that 45% of Turkish women wear a headscarf in public. Further, most Turks associate wearing a headscarf with “being religious” and not “fanaticism.”More ...

Some Muslim Nations Oppose Attacks on Iran, N. Korea

Less than 5% would condone U.S.-led military action against Tehran

January 25, 2008

Majorities of Egyptians, Saudis, and Turks say a U.S. attack on Iran cannot be justified at all. Further, in these countries, similar levels of rejection exist for a U.S. attack on North Korea.More ...

Cold Turkey for Turks

Turkey has highest reported incidence of smoking in countries surveyed

January 14, 2008

EU candidate Turkey’s new smoking ban follows a recent wave of similar bans in EU member states. But unlike the member states it hopes to join, Turkey faces a much higher incidence of smoking -- the highest reported incidence in more than 100 countries Gallup surveyed.More ...

Turks Divided on Role of Sharia

December 10, 2007

As Turkey's ruling party aims to ease the constitutional ban on headscarves, Gallup finds that 43% of Turks believe Sharia provides justice for women and 32% say that Sharia oppresses women.

Turks at Odds Over Islamic Law

Residents hold contrasting views of Sharia’s effects in important areas

December 10, 2007

Turkey’s ruling political party announced Friday that it plans to relax the ban on wearing headscarves at universities in the new draft constitution. Conflicting perspectives on Sharia among Turks surveyed in a recent Gallup Poll reveal how deeply the rift between secularists and Muslim democrats runs.More ...