Potential for liberal democracy in Muslim-majority countries: researchers

A new study by University of Toronto and University of Tubingen researchers reveal that liberal democracy is possible in Muslim majority nations as opposed to popular thought.

A sociologist from University of Toronto Robert Anderson said that one of the key factors in determining potential for liberal democracy is the degree of social tolerance.

The study found that the people living in Muslim-majority countries are on average less tolerant than people living in the West.

The tolerance levels can depend on the countries' individual economic developments which is lesser in Muslim nations as compared to the West.

The data for the research was used from the World Values Survey that discovers people's beliefs, how they change and their social and political impacts.

They compared levels of racial, immigrant and religious tolerance by age, gender, education level, religiosity, economic development, economic inequality and other factors in Muslim-majority and Western countries.