Most Egyptians want Qur’an as source of laws

A majority of Egyptians believe laws in their country should observe the teachings of Islam’s holy book, the Qur’an, according to the results of an opinion poll by a US-based research center.

The results also show that Egyptians, who have shifted toward religious conservatism over the past 40 or so years, are open to the inclusion of religious parties in future governments. Only a minority, however, sympathize with fundamentalist religious parties, according to the results.

Overall, the results of the poll paint a picture of Egyptians as a people who prefer religious moderation over extremism and prize democratic values even if they come at the risk of some political instability.

The poll results were released late Monday and come five months ahead of legislative elections, the first since the February ouster of longtime authoritarian leader Hosni Mubarak.

Islamic parties are expected to make a significant showing in the crucial vote, with 50 percent of people saying it was “very important” for religious parties to be part of a future government and as much 37 percent have a “very favorable” view of the Muslim Brotherhood, the country’s largest and best organized Islamic group.ReadMore