Pakistan

Most Pakistanis want Islam to be the basis of country’s legislation: report

16 % say legislation should follow Islam but not strictly adhere to it; 2 % in favour of not be influenced by religion

Tashkeel Ahmed Farooqui April 28, 2016

in pakistan the palestinian territories jordan malaysia and senegal roughly half or more of the full population said that laws in their countries should strictly follow the teachings of the holy quran photo reuters

A staggering number of Pakistanis want Islamic teachings to be the foundation of the country’s laws, a report has revealed.

“This opinion is especially prevalent in Pakistan (78%), one of only five declared Islamic Republics in the world, and the Palestinian territories (65%),” a research report issued by the Pew Research Centre revealed on Wednesday.

How much should the Quran influence our country's laws?

The research report, which is based on the findings of a recent survey of 10,194 respondents, conducted in 10 countries with significant Muslim populations from April 5 to May 21, 2015, notes striking variations in the extent to which people think the Holy Quran should influence their countries’ laws.

The participants of the survey were asked: “Which of the following three statements comes closer to your view: Laws in your country should strictly follow the teachings of the Holy Quran, laws in your country should follow the values and principles of Islam but not strictly follow the teachings of Holy Quran, laws in your country should not be influenced by the teachings of the Holy Quran.”

Views on strictly following the Quran for laws differ widely between countries

In Pakistan, the Palestinian territories, Jordan, Malaysia and Senegal, roughly half or more of the full population said that laws in their countries should strictly follow the teachings of the Holy Quran.

By contrast, in Burkina Faso, Turkey, Lebanon and Indonesia, less than a quarter agree. And in many of these countries where non-Muslims make up a significant portion of the population, there are strong disagreements between major religious groups on this issue.

Religious divides over whether country's laws should follow Quran teachings

The report further reveals that 16 per cent of Pakistanis opined that Islamic values and principles should be followed in legislation but they should not be strictly followed. However, only 2 per cent of the respondents suggested that laws must not be influenced by the teachings of the Holy Quran.

The survey is based on country-wide samples, which include non-Muslims.

COMMENTS (7)

Uzair | 8 years ago | Reply Religious parties have never thrived in electoral politics in Pakistan. This is where numbers and stats fail to show the true picture of sentiments. These numbers can be interpreted by the observer in anyway deemed fit, without know the context.

Rex Minor | 8 years ago | Reply @vinsin: Have you ever come across a muslim who has admitted that his acts are unislamic? If he does then he is no longer a muslim. Most muslims in the world live in their own cultures and practice their family or tribal traditions as well as the laws of the country, the latter might contridict the very basics of the Ibrahimic faith. The capital punishment through stoning or hanging is strictly forbidden and yet practiced in Pakistan and in several other so called muslim societies. There is only ONE God and only ONE interpretaion of Islam.. Rex Minor

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Atif Salahuddin | 8 years ago | Reply The people in Pakistan are strongly in favour of Islam, not just for themselves but as a basis to run the country. Pakistan's political leadership should think seriously about this, instead of denying the reality.

Raw is War | 8 years ago | Reply @vinsin: " @Parvez: The one that wins in a war." Like in 1971?

vinsin | 8 years ago | Reply @M. Jan: Which laws in Pakistan are unislamic? @Parvez: The one that wins in a war.

Parvez | 8 years ago | Reply .........but which interpretation of Islam is to be used ?

M. Jan | 8 years ago | Reply There have been a few reasonably free and fair elections in Pakistan in the recent past and religious parties promising the imposition of strict Sharia laws never got the majority votes. The response to this type of survey is obviously not reflective of the true intentions of the population.

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