20100416
allafrica

Nairobi — A study carried out amongst 1,500 Kenyans released on Thursday by a leading US research institute shows broad tolerance between Christians and Muslims.

But the study, "Tolerance and Tension: Islam and Christianity in Sub-Saharan Africa," also pointed to suspicions and mistrust among some Muslims and Christians in Kenya. The survey can be accessed at http://pewforum.org/docs

Nearly half of Kenyan Christians see Muslims as violent, while a third of Muslims view Christians in Kenya the same way, says the study of 19 African countries.

One third of Kenyan Christians say many, most or all Muslims support al Qaeda or other violent Islamist groups, while nearly the same proportion of Kenyan Muslims - 29 per cent - have the same perception.

At the same time, most Muslims and Christians see members of the other faith as honest. And only 29 per cent view conflict between religious groups in the country as "a very big problem."
Pew Study Analyzes Religious Tolerance in Africa

The study also shows overwhelming opposition to abortion and homosexuality among Muslims and Christians, with more than 90 per cent regarding them as immoral.

The US research centre surveyed Africans on political topics as well. It found 80 per cent of Kenyans agreed that democracy is preferable to other forms of government.

Only 37 per cent agree, however, that their lives are better today than five years ago. Researchers spoke to 1,154 Kenyan Christians and 340 Kenyan Muslims from December 2008 to April 2009.

The percentage corresponds with what the survey says is the 88 per cent Christian and 11 per cent Muslim composition of Kenyan society.