Dalia Mogahed’s passion for research started when she worked at Procter & Gamble’s product development department in Ohio — it was there that she first developed a fascination with “applying the hard sciences to people.” This first taste of action with meaning allowed her to ply her trade on something with which she was fascinated.

“My job was to understand people,” the soft-spoken 36-year-old says. “Human behavior, human thought, what people wanted and their aspirations and their hopes.”

Mogahed looks young for her age and wears her small hijab elegantly. She exudes pride and a certain brand of confidence that only comes with accomplishment. Then again, she’s a senior analyst and the director of the Abu Dhabi Gallup Center, the Middle East branch of one of the world’s leading research firms on public opinion.

Mogahed chooses her words cautiously: statements always seem to be backed up by her personal drive toward extensive research, data and statistics.

Her work is focused on a world perhaps foreign to Egypt, that is, the culture and custom of the West. This world appears as confusing as it does mysterious, one that seems to clash, not compliment, the path to civilization — that is, the Orientalist world.

Big city to big world

Mogahed was born in Egypt but moved with her parents to the US when she was five. She grew up and studied in the state of Wisconsin. After being drawn to Gallup because it suited her passion, the Obama administration selected Mogahed for a post as an advisor on the Council of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships in 2008.

“I was extremely surprised and very excited, but at the same time, in some ways, very scared [because] I did think it was a huge responsibility. I didn’t really know what [it] would entail,” she says. “But I did feel that being given that opportunity meant that a great deal was going to be expected of me.”

Being chosen for such a responsibility didn’t necessarily make her jump to the assumption that she represents the Muslim community, since she “wasn’t elected by the Muslims around the world,” as Mogahed puts it.

Yet her goal was simple: She wanted to “bring the voices of Muslims around the world to the table, to policy makers” by means of her research.

Muslims from across the world embraced Mogahed’s determined mission wholeheartedly, evident through the various emails and letters of support she received. A Muslim woman reaching such a prestigious position appeared not to go unnoticed.

Mogahed embarked upon another journey that began shortly after she moved to Abu Dhabi: namely, presenting raw data that reflected opinions and sentiments within this part of the world in particular. This past June, she came to Egypt with the purpose of spreading the findings of the Gallup Center’s research in relation to the January 25 Revolution’s effects on the country and its people.

She held a press conference “Egypt from Tahrir to Transition” at the Four Seasons Hotel and participated in a debate at Cairo University to discuss Egypt’s situation. Although bombarded with countless interviews, Business Today was able to speak with her one-on-one.

On that particular day, she wore a simple, yet sleek burgundy suit and carried herself with a calm demeanor. At the conference itself, she spoke fluently of Egyptians’ hopes, dreams and aspirations. The Gallup Center director spoke in detail of how the events that transpired would affect the nation’s economic and political future.

Although small in stature, Mogahed stood tall, her words ringing across the hall authoritatively.

She elaborated on the economic situation with bt — seemingly setting her hopes quite high. Despite the losses that Egypt faced due to the January 25 Revolution and the political unrest that followed, people’s optimism is vital for the future of the economy, she says.

Even though Egyptians’ economic hardships have theoretically increased in the wake of the revolution, according to Mogahed, “it isn’t creating [...] social unrest because there is so much hope. The difference between now and before the revolution is not the love of suffering but the love of hope.”

Mogahed has faith in the economy, because through the careful study and analyses of surveys, she saw that the majority of Egyptians have a positive attitude towards the country’s fortunes.

“First of all, just the fact that people are optimistic about the future of the economy is in itself a good indication of improvement for the economy because consumer optimism affects behavior,” she explains.

She points out that this optimism will make people “leave their money in the banks, and they might invest in the stock market. […] If people think the economy is about to collapse, there is going to be panic withdrawal of money, and withdrawal selling. So people’s general outlook of the economy actually can create reality because of their behavior.”

She ends her comment with a smile.

This “strong hope” in the country is more likely to also encourage people to start and invest in their own businesses, since there is a sense of trusting others. Mogahed contends that people trusting each other leads to better cooperation, happier employees, and stronger dealings and contracts.

“Actually the Gallup found an empirical relationship between the desire to start a business and the belief that you can trust the people around you in your community,” she says. “Community trust actually can be the foundation of a healthy economy.”

Egypt, now and today

On tourism, Mogahed admits plainly that tourism will play a vital role in resurrecting the country’s finances, stressing, however, that once the economy stabilizes, the sector will bounce back. She further argues that tourism numbers could improve, because people are curious to see where Egypt’s January 25 Revolution unfolded.

This is why the most pressing issue at the moment, for both citizens and the country is security, according to the Gallup’s director.

During the conference, Mogahed acknowledged that this is one area that remains unsettling to many Egyptians, whose stability is very much tied to economy.

The Gallup surveys, conducted through interviews with 1,000–1,200 Egyptians, are not all about economics; several are politically-related. One statistic that defied stereotypes is how much support the Muslim Brotherhood actually has among average Egyptians. According to Gallup, only 15% support the Brotherhood, which Mogahed asserts, shows that fear of the Islamists is perhaps overrated.

Respondents of the various surveys were chosen from different governorates, as well as social and economic classes and educational backgrounds. The polls are conducted according to the highest standards of scientific method and methodology, she says.

Coming back to Egypt’s prospects for the future, Mogahed confirms the presence of both a positive as well as a negative outlook. There is definitely great concern among Egyptians about the immediate economic and political situation, Mogahed says, noting, however, that “now the people see a path. They believe they are on a path to a brighter future.” bt