Over the last year a number of peaceful protests have been met with violence by authorities across the Middle East and North Africa. However, even before the most recent protests, evidence suggests that citizens across MENA enjoyed far fewer basic rights than in the years following the Arab uprisings of 2011.  Results from Arab Barometer make clear that the degree…

“No to religion or sect,” cry the protesters in Iraq. “No to Islam, no to Christianity, revolt for the nation,” echo those in Lebanon. Across the Arab world people are turning against religious political parties and the clerics who helped bring them to power. Many appear to be giving up on Islam, too. These trends are reflected in new data from…

In the largest survey of its kind ever conducted in the region, the Arab Barometer asked ordinary citizens about their views toward both Iran and Israel. The results reveal that Israel is significantly more widely feared than Iran across the region and that few Arab citizens prefer closer relations between Arab countries and Israel. Overall, in three-quarters of countries surveyed,…