Photo: Taken in Singapore's original Arab quarters, locals and foreigners alike flock here for textiles, carpets, perfume and shisha; Coconuts Singapore / Alexander Hotz
A recent study — referred to as the 'Islamicity Index', it ranks countries on based on how much its culture reflects the values of Islam — conducted by Professor of International Business and International Affairs at George Washington University Hossein Askari, together with his colleague Dr. Scheherazade Rehman, has revealed something rather interesting, if not unexpected.
Results rule that Singapore (#8) is more Islamic — meaning the religion's ideals are applied in areas such as governance, human and political rights, international relations — than Muslim-dominated Malaysia (#33) by a mile.
The study also concluded that not a single majority Muslim country made the top 25, and no Arab country even breached the top 50. In fact, the 10 countries that are most Islamic include Ireland, which tops the list, Belgium, Denmark, Sweden, the United Kingdom and Norway
Askari was reported to have told BBC World, a study like this usually "many countries that profess Islam and are called Islamic are unjust, corrupt and underdeveloped and are in fact not 'Islamic' by any stretch of the imagination".
Photo: Taken in Singapore's original Arab quarters, locals and foreigners alike flock here for textiles, carpets, perfume and shisha; Coconuts Singapore / Alexander Hotz
A recent study — referred to as the 'Islamicity Index', it ranks countries on based on how much its culture reflects the values of Islam — conducted by Professor of International Business and International Affairs at George Washington University Hossein Askari, together with his colleague Dr. Scheherazade Rehman, has revealed something rather interesting, if not unexpected.
Results rule that Singapore (#8) is more Islamic — meaning the religion's ideals are applied in areas such as governance, human and political rights, international relations — than Muslim-dominated Malaysia (#33) by a mile.
The study also concluded that not a single majority Muslim country made the top 25, and no Arab country even breached the top 50. In fact, the 10 countries that are most Islamic include Ireland, which tops the list, Belgium, Denmark, Sweden, the United Kingdom and Norway
Askari was reported to have told BBC World, a study like this usually "many countries that profess Islam and are called Islamic are unjust, corrupt and underdeveloped and are in fact not 'Islamic' by any stretch of the imagination".