Religion, culture, etc.

Muslim women are often more tolerant than men

A Muslim woman with a child

(Bild: P. Huber)

Muslim women from African countries are more tolerant than Muslim men in many areas. This is the result of a survey conducted by the Documentation Center for Political Islam in Vienna. According to the survey, women are more tolerant when it comes to practicing their religion and making public appearances.

A total of 318 Muslims from Somalia, Sudan and the countries of West Africa living in the greater Vienna area were surveyed. The authors of the study, Martina Gajdos and Erwin Ebermann, stated that they had not reached all educational levels due to a lack of literacy or language skills. It was therefore only an "attempt to approximate reality".

"One key finding is that women often adopt a far more open and tolerant stance on many issues," said DPI Director Lisa Fellhofer. For example, 52.8 percent of the women surveyed were in favor of a Muslim woman choosing her own husband. For men, the figure is only 36.6 percent. Almost seven out of ten female respondents (68.5 percent) support the idea that women should appear confident in public, but only four out of ten men (41.7 percent).

More than one in two in favor of equal rights
More than one in two (53.3%) are in favor of equal rights for women in all areas of life. The respondents attach great importance to Koran lessons. More than half of Muslims rate this as more important than school lessons, while only around one in ten people consider formal school lessons to be more important. The argument: Quran lessons teach children to "sit still and train their memory."

There are differences depending on the respondents' country of origin, age, level of education, knowledge of German and contacts. Somalis, for example, are more likely to be intolerant of other religions. In addition, a quarter of the group believe that a Muslim woman should never refuse to have sex with her husband. People from Sudan are far less likely to agree with this (seven percent).

A good knowledge of German and more intensive interaction with the majority society are extremely important for arriving in Austria. Both help to reduce one's own prejudices and to recognize and seize opportunities for participation.

Martina Gajdos und Erwin Ebermann, Afrikanisten der Universität Wien

Younger and more educated people are more open
Younger and more highly educated people are more open to equal rights for men and women. Those with poor German language skills and little contact outside their own community are more likely to accept rights violations.

"Good German language skills and more intensive interaction with the majority society are extremely important for arriving in Austria. Both help to reduce one's own prejudices and to recognize and seize opportunities for participation, which a society must also offer," the study states.