Muslim women from African countries are more tolerant than Muslim men in many areas. This is the result of a study conducted by the Documentation Center for Political Islam in Vienna. Women are therefore more tolerant in their religious practice and public appearances.
A total of 318 Muslims from Somalia, Sudan and the countries of West Africa living in the Vienna region were surveyed. Study author Martina Gajdos and author Erwin Ebermann stated that they did not reach all levels of education due to a lack of literacy or language skills. So it is just an “attempt to get closer to reality”.
“An important finding is that women often take a much more open and tolerant position on many issues,” says DPI Director Lisa Fellhofer. For example, 52.8 percent of women surveyed support that a Muslim woman should choose her own husband. For men this is only 36.6 percent. Nearly seven in ten female respondents (68.5 percent) support the idea that women should appear confident in public, but only four in ten male respondents (41.7 percent).
More than one in two people are in favor of equality
More than one in two people (53.3 percent) support equal rights for women in all areas of life. The respondents attach great importance to teaching the Quran. More than half of Muslims consider this more important than school lessons only being more important to about one in ten people. The argument: In Koran lessons, children learn to ‘sit still and train their memory’.
There are differences depending on the country of origin, age, level of education, knowledge of German and contacts of the respondents. For example, Somalis are more likely to be intolerant of other religions. In addition, a quarter of the group believes that a Muslim woman should never refuse sex with her husband. The chance that people from Sudan will support this is much smaller (seven percent).
Younger and better educated people are more open
Younger and more educated people are more open to equal rights for men and women. Those who have poor knowledge of German and little contact outside their own community are more likely to accept legal violations.
“Good knowledge of German and more intensive exchange relations with the majority community are extremely important to arrive in Austria. Both help to reduce one’s own prejudices and to recognize and utilize the opportunities for participation that a society must offer,” the study says.
Source: Krone
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