It took six years for Gallup to complete what is potentially the largest survey of the world's Muslims ever attempted.
The results of the survey drastically contradict perceptions held by many Westerners about the Islamic faith.
Gallup used phone interviews of more than 50,000 Muslims in Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.
Not surprising as the importance of the religion in their daily lives.
The strongest response was from Indonesia for 99% of those interviewed said religion was a very important part of their lives.
Despite strong western feelings that most Muslims supported the attack on New York's World Trade Center, the survey revealed this is opposite of a belief of most Muslims.
In fact, only 7% of respondents supported the attack -- and most of them, according to Gallup, did so based on political reasons rather than religious reasons.
The 93% condemning the attacks used religious reasons, most often from the Koran, to validate their position in the phone interviews.
The majority of survey participants, including those identifying themselves as radicals, said they admire the Western world for its democracy, freedom, and technical bulletins.
Though respondents admire American democracy, they do not want a democracy forced on them.
Instead, like the pilgrims of the 1600s, they seek democracy based on religious values.
This is just another example of how one cannot properly base their concept of any individual on public opinion.
Get to know the individuals of a culture personally instead of painting cultures with broad strokes.