This House believes that Muslim women should be free to marry anyone they choose
Monday May 25 2009
MOTION PASSED
by 62% to 38%
Opinion poll
ARABS REJECT DOHA DEBATE VOTE ON MUSLIM MARRIAGE
Doha, Qatar, June 17, 2009: Arabs across the Middle East have voiced serious opposition to a recent vote at The Doha Debates that Muslim women should be free to marry the man of their choice.
An opinion poll, commissioned by The Doha Debates, revealed more than 85 percent of Arabs against the proposition, with the strongest objections coming from women.
The finding stands in stark contrast to the result of the last debate, held on May 25th in Doha, when 62 percent of the mainly-Arab audience voted to remove all restrictions on a Muslim woman's choice of husband.
In the poll carried out by YouGov, 89 percent of women said it was prohibited for Muslim women to marry outside their religion, with the majority citing the Koran as the reason for their conviction.
More than 800 respondents from North Africa, the Gulf, Levant and Iraq took part in the online survey between June 4-9.
A large majority opposed arranged marriages, while a quarter thought it was unfair that Muslim men could marry outside their faith at the same time as women were facing restrictions.
Polling dates: 4 - 9 June 2009
Download the polling data [PDF]
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