Most in Islamic Awakening nations support Shariah: Poll

A new survey shows that the majority of young people in the Arab countries which experienced Islamic Awakening advocate Islamic Shariah (law) as an essential source of legislation.

The opinion poll, whose results were published on July 30, was conducted by Al Jazeera Studies Center based on interviews with 8,045 young adults from Egypt, Libya, Tunisia and Yemen.

The survey found that 93 percent of respondents in Libya , 89 percent in Yemen, 64 percent in Tunisia and 57 percent in Egypt favor the enforcement of Islamic Sharia.

In 2011, the wave of Islamic Awakening in Egypt, Yemen, Tunisia and Libya led to the overthrow of dictatorial regimes following massive popular uprisings in the four Arab states.

Egyptians launched a revolution against the regime of Hosni Mubarak in 2011, putting an end to over three decades of dictatorship. The Tunisian revolution also led to the ouster of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in the same year.

Meanwhile, ousted Yemeni dictator Ali Abdullah Saleh, who ruled the country for almost 33 years, stepped down in February 2012 after nearly a year of mass street protests against his leadership.

Libyans also rose up against former dictator Muammar Gaddafi’s four-decade rule in February 2011. The dictator was deposed in August 2011, and he was slain on October 20 of the same year.