For any large institution — whether a private-sector company, government or world religion — stability and continuity are important prerequisites for success. A low rate of turnover at the very top is often a key ingredient for such stability. We wonder: Since 1892, which of the following institutions has seen the fewest changes in leadership?
A. Catholic Church
B. General Electric
C. U.S. Presidency
D. British Prime Ministers
Following a series of tragic events occurring in France, Nigeria and elsewhere, Islam is back in the global headlines. Part of the debate concerns the question of whether Islam is compatible with cultures outside its birthplace in the Middle East. We wonder: Which of the following statements about the world’s Muslim communities is true?
A. China has as many Muslims as Saudi Arabia.
B. There are more Muslims in Indonesia and India than in the entire Arab World.
C. There are fewer Muslims in the United States than Europe.
D. Muslims account for less than a quarter of the world’s population.
The attacks in Paris at the office of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo have highlighted Europe’s troubled relationship with Islam and with its growing immigrant population. While this is a challenge faced by many countries, the unrest is especially acute in France. We wonder: Which of the following statements are true?
A. France has the largest immigrant population in Western Europe.
B. France has the largest Muslim population in Western Europe.
C. Most of France’s immigrants come from Africa.
D. More French have traveled to fight in Syria than from any other Western nation.
The freedom to practice religion without fear of persecution is widely regarded as a fundamental human right. In practice, this right is sometimes abused — especially against religious minorities. We wonder: What percentage of the world’s population lives in a country in which they are a religious minority?
A. 3%
B. 13%
C. 27%
D. 72%
The Catholic Church has a new leader, Pope Francis. The number of Catholics in the world is estimated to be about 1.2 billion today. That puts their number right between India’s and China’ population. We wonder: Which country boasts the largest Catholic community in the world?
Surveys consistently show that people who live in the world's poorest countries tend to be more religious than those living in wealthier countries. However, religion also plays a prominent role in people’s lives in certain relatively affluent countries too. We wonder: Which is the most religious country in the world?
In the ongoing unrest in the Arab world, a significant portion of the protesters are young people — many of whom are disillusioned with poor economic prospects, not to mention a lack of basic political freedoms. We wonder: Which Arab country has the biggest share of its population that is under age 25?
With parts of the Muslim world currently contending with unrest and upheaval, we wonder: Where do most of the world’s Muslims actually live?