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10 I DEAS & D AILY L IFE IN THE M USLIM W ORLD T ODAY

Because Muslims can be found all over the world, there are wide disparities in the ways that Muslims live. Some Muslims are quite wealthy, but many have barely enough to survive. Lifestyle and devotion to religion also varies broadly across the Islamic world. In places like Saudi Arabia and Iran, the people live according to strict religious codes. In Turkey, the lifestyles of many people are similar to that of a typical town in eastern Europe. Muslims speak hundreds of different languages, follow many different customs, wear different styles of clothes, belong to various ethnic groups, and lead many different kinds of lives. As with most religions and cultures in the world, there are Muslims who see the rules of Islam as strict and others who see them as flexible and accommodating. There are Muslims who fol- low religious rules carefully, as part of their daily lives, and others who do not closely observe the rules. And there are a few Muslims who believe extreme behavior, including violence, is acceptable, although most others agree it is forbidden. There is much for westerners to learn about the way Muslims live and the attitudes and opinions of people living in Islamic countries. Since the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in which terrorists flew hijacked airliners into the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon near Washington, D.C., there has been a huge interest in learning more about the Muslim world. American public opinion research companies have conducted numerous polls of Muslims in other countries to learn more about what they believe and how they feel about various contemporary issues. The first of these was a landmark study conducted during Islam— from an Arabic word meaning “submitted” to God, this is the religion founded by Muhammad in the 7th century CE . Muslim— a person whose religion is Islam. Words to Understand in This Chapter