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WASHINGTON D.C., U.S.A., OCTOBER 16, 2003: Followers of the world’s major faiths, including those in countries torn by sectarian violence, say that religion is not the cause of unrest, according to a global survey on religion recently released. The thousands of Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Jews and Muslims surveyed in Israel, India, South Korea, the United States and other areas, said they thought that more piety would improve their countries. “There is so much association of religion with strife in the news,” said William Green, a religion professor at the University of Rochester in New York, and a leader of the study. This survey indicates “we may be missing a broader dimension” of the picture, he said. “The notion that people think the more religious society will help a country certainly suggests that they’re not afraid of religion,” Green said at a news conference. In India, torn by frequent Hindu-Muslim violence, 65 percent of Muslims and 55 percent of Hindus said they disagreed that religion was the source of trouble and unrest. The poll was conducted in eleven countries by the University of Rochester and Zogby International. More than 4,000 self-described Jews and Muslims in Israel and Hindus and Muslims in India, as well as Christians and Buddhists in South Korea and Roman Catholics and Protestants in the United States were among those surveyed for the study.

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