Majority of Catholic Philippines have favourable opinion of Islam

dpa German Press Agency
Published: Tuesday October 24, 2006

Manila- Most people in the predominantly Catholic Philippines have a favourable opinion of Islam and believe that it is a peaceful religion, a nationwide survey showed on Tuesday. As Muslims marked Eid al-Fitr, the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan, the Manila-based Social Weather Stations said 66 per cent of Filipinos have a favourable opinion of Islam.

The figure was up from 63 per cent in August 2005, the survey said said.

Sixty-eight per cent of Filipinos also think that Islam respects the beliefs of non-Muslims, while 66 per cent "see Islam as a religion of peace and not of violence," according to the poll.

The poll, however, found that about four in five Filipinos were unfamiliar with the teachings and beliefs of Islam, having either little or no knowledge about it.

Only eight per cent have extensive knowledge, while 13 per cent said they have partial but sufficient knowledge about Islam, the survey said.

About eight per cent of the Philippines' estimated 84 million population are Muslims.

© 2006 dpa German Press Agency