Photo by Bill Green Alex Kronemer, an executive producer of the film "Inside Islam: What a Billion Muslims Really Think," left, and Yahya Hendi, an imam at the Islamic Society of Frederick, chat before the start of the showing of the film at Hood College.

Kronemer on Monday was at Hood College to introduce a new documentary he produced titled "Inside Islam: What a Billion Muslims Really Think."

The title was based on a worldwide study of Muslims by the Gallup Poll that began essentially on Sept. 11, 2001, Kronemer said.

Over six years, pollsters asked Muslims in 35 nations what they think of democracy, terrorism and women's and human rights.

Muslims in the Middle East represent about 15 percent of the world's total population of Muslims, he said.

Instead of a clash of civilizations between Christians, Jews and Muslims, film producer Alex Kronemer said he sees a clash of misunderstandings that can lead to tragedy.

Local perspectives

Yahya Hendi, an imam at the Islamic Society of Frederick , said showing the film in Frederick represented an important call to intellectual debate, instead of flashing lights and political agendas.

"Americans need to know what Muslims think," he said. In turn, Muslims and others should learn what Americans and people of different faiths believe, he said.

Muslims, for example, have contributed and continue to contribute to scientific knowledge, not to the deeds of suicide bombers who act contrary to the beliefs of most Muslims, he said.

The recent shootings at Fort Hood are a tragic, heartbreaking event, but have nothing to do with Islam, he said.

Thousands of Muslims serve in the U.S. military, love this country and would sacrifice their lives for it, he said.

Beyond tolerating diversity in this country, Hendi called on people to celebrate their differences.

"I don't want to tear down walls," he said during a panel discussion of faith leaders after the film. "I want to turn the walls into tables," where everyone has a seat and counts.

When asked why more moderate Muslims are not heard, Hendi said the popular media is not interested in publishing these voices.

He cited statements from hundreds of American Muslim leaders after Sept. 11, 2001, condemning the attacks. Most of these were ignored by the media, he said.

Rabbi Gerry Serotta, who works with Hendi in the group Hendi founded, Clergy Beyond Borders, said the Fort Hood attacks bring to light the need for more mutual understanding and cooperation among religious groups.

Dialogue at the local level is an important place to look for opportunities where people of different backgrounds and religions can work together, he said.

What Muslims believe

According to data from the Gallup poll of Muslims worldwide, Muslims want financial security and a good education for their children.

Most Muslims abroad agree with Americans and are critical of moral and ethical corruption, the poll found.

Most of those polled said they had a negative view about the U.S. invasion of Iraq, while 7 percent said the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks were justified, Kronemer said.

Of those 7 percent, not one mentioned religious reasons to justify violence against the United States, but instead mentioned political or other grievances, he said.

Political radicals polled were, on average, more educated and affluent than moderates. These people indicated a sense of being dominated or occupied by the West, the poll stated.

"Osama bin Laden does not want you to hear the voices of one billion Muslims," Kronemer said.

Muslims frequently mention their admiration for Western political freedom, liberty, fair judicial systems and freedom of speech, and critique their own societies for extremism and inadequate adherence to Islamic teachings.

The Gallup survey also indicated Muslims said they believe in the importance of Islam in governance.

A Gallup researcher in the film mentioned sharia -- essentially Islamic principles that are widely seen as governing all aspects of life -- as highly misunderstood in the West. Scholars derive law from the principles of sharia.

In some cases, adherence to sharia is called upon to protect women's rights in some Muslim majority nations, the film stated.

For Muslims, the presence of sharia as a source of legislation does not conflict with drafting a constitution that would allow freedom of speech, according to the Gallup survey.

The film also asserts Muslims are more often than not portrayed in American media accounts as militants, while Muslim women are more often portrayed as submissive.

About 54 percent of Americans polled in 2002 said they knew little, if anything, about Muslims. In 2007, about 57 percent of Americans said they knew little or nothing.

Kendall Parsons, a Hood senior and biology major, said she enjoyed the film and was surprised to see how many Muslims were against the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

Parsons said her studies keep her from reading a lot about events in the news, but what little she gathers about Muslims is predominantly negative.

"(The film) put that into perspective," she said.

She said she was also inspired by the film's stories of women protesting for their rights to be free from discrimination by citing sharia law.