President Barack Obama had invited more than 200
entrepreneurs from the Muslim world to a Washington DC summit as part of a
program to encourage innovation and growth in Muslim countries, billing it as a
"new beginning" in relations between the United States and the Muslim
world.
The Yahoo! Maktoob Research poll shows that Arabs are
quite informed when it comes to US activities involving the Muslim world, as
almost six out of ten respondents (62 percent) were aware of US President
Obama's speech to Muslim entrepreneurs, out of which there were significantly
more men and Egyptians.
Less than three out of ten respondents (26 percent)
believe that the United States is either very or somewhat committed to
improving economic conditions in the Muslim World. Out of the countries
surveyed, believability seems to be the lowest among Jordanians.
The same percentage is being achieved when asked how
optimistic Arabs are that the United States will be able to help improve
economic conditions in the Muslim World. Just over a quarter (26 percent) are
very or somewhat optimistic. Men, North African and Levant Nationals are the
least optimistic.
The largest percentage of respondents (82 percent) states
that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the most important issue for the
United States to address to prove its commitment to improving relations with
individual citizens in the Muslim World.
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is followed by democracy
and justice in the Muslim World (40 percent) and the war in Iraq (37 percent).
The other issues are being ranked as follows: human rights (29 percent),
nuclear proliferation (27 percent), economic development/jobs (24 percent),
religious freedom (24 percent) and women's rights (3 percent). On average three
main issues are being mentioned by the respondents.
A larger number of women seem to be concerned about the
war in Iraq (45 percent versus 35 percent) and religious freedom (34 percent
versus 20 percent) compared to their male counterparts.
Tamara Deprez, head of Yahoo! Maktoob Research commented:
"We are excited about sharing the results of the online poll whereby
respondents shared their views on the role the United States is playing in
fostering entrepreneurship in the Arab World, following the recent summit in
Washington."
"There is a tremendous opportunity for countries
around the globe to participate in high-growth entrepreneurship and further
technology advancements. Growth and empowerment throughout the region must be
founded and ultimately driven within the Arab World. To enable that,
communities need to build a foundation that makes high-growth entrepreneurship
possible, including investing in R&D and education and creating a culture
that encourages entrepreneurship."
