Came across this controversial video by a person called Ben Shapiro (a popular columnist it seems, editor-in-chief of DailyWire)
Ben makes a claim that the radicalization of Islam has percolated far deeper than we imagine. He says that the common belief that a large majority of Muslims are a peaceful, progressive people, may be a myth.
It is a controversial claim to make, and he does back it up with some numbers based on some ‘polls’. I have no clue about the nature or veracity of these polls, so it is safe to take these numbers with a huge grain of salt. Here’s the numbers he states in the video, for those who don’t want to listen to the whole video.
| Country | Total | Radical |
|---|---|---|
| Indonesia | 205 | 143 |
| Egypt | 80 | 55.2 |
| Pakistan | 179 | 135.4 |
| Bangladesh | 149 | 121.9 |
| Nigeria | 75.7 | 53.7 |
| Iran | 74.8 | 62.1 |
| Turkey | 74.7 | 23.9 |
| Morocco | 32.4 | 24.6 |
| Iraq | 31.1 | 24.3 |
| Afghanistan | 24 | 24 |
| Jordan | 6.4 | 3.8 |
| Palestinian areas | 4.3 | 3.83 |
| France | 4.7 | 1.6 |
| UK | 2.8 | 2.2 |
| US | 2.6 | 0.5 |
| TOTAL | 942 | 680 |
I’m not entirely convinced with the argument he presents because of the shaky grounds (unsubstantiated polls, different contexts for calling people radical etc), but he does make an interesting point, that radicalization may be far deeper than we think.
What also got me thinking was the interesting absence of India. India is the third largest Muslim population in the world, just behind Pakistan at around 175 million Muslims.
Not sure what to make out of it. I’m sure he couldn’t have forgotten about India. And I’m sure it isn’t the complete absence of radicalization in India (not just amongst those who follow Islam) either.
Just thought it was thought provoking and worth a post.
He has made an interesting point but I doubt his poll. As far as India is concerned, I believe that Muslims of India are least radicalized and will prove to be the torch bearers against radicals.