i) I am in agreement with everything being taught in the aqeedah course in IOU. However I find the conclusion troubling i.e. 90% of the Muslim ummah today is Ashari/Maturidi in belief and is therefore deviant. How can that be? ii) Are there any Mu‘tazilites in existence today? Who and where are they?

I think we need to reconsider the claim that 90% of the Muslim Ummah today is Ash'ari/Maturidi in belief.

Shaykh Uthaimeen answers this question at the end of his book al-Qawa'id al-Muthla. He says: If somebody says: "We have now come to know the falsehood of the school of those who perform ta'weel with the attributes, and it is known that the Ash'aris are from among those who perform ta'weel, so how can their school be false when it has been said that they represent 95% of the Muslims today?"

To answer this question, we say: "We do not accept the percentage of the Ash'aris to be of this number compared to the other sects, for this claim requires verification by way of precise statistics.  Furthermore, if we were to accept that they were of this number or greater, it does not necessitate their infallibility from committing error, because infallibility is with the consensus of the Muslims and not the majority."

Furthermore, we say: "The consensus of the Muslims in the past is proven to be contrary to what those who performed ta'weel were upon, for the righteous Salaf of this Ummah - and they were the Sahabah - who were the best of generations, along with those who followed them in righteousness and the Imams of guidance after them, were all in agreement over confirming what Allah confirmed for Himself or what His Messenger confirmed for him of Names and Attributes, and leaving the texts upon their apparent meanings, based on what is befitting to Allah, without tahreef, ta'teel, takyeef, or tamtheel."

To add to this explanation of Shaykh Uthaimeen, we can also say that there is a difference between the general common-folk from among the Muslims of our Ummah and the scholars of the past and present. Shaykh Salih Aal ash-Shaykh says in his commentary of al-Aqeedah at-Tahawiyyah:

We have drawn to your attention several times, the incorrect statement of those who say that: "The majority of the Muslims are Ash'aris, or that the majority of the Muslims are not from Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jama'ah, rather the majority of the Muslims are Ash'aris or that the majority of the Muslims are Maturidis, etc. and that only a few of them follow the methodology of the righteous Salaf."  This is a grave error. Rather, the majority of the Muslims are upon the correct methodology in the matters of the unseen, but not most of the scholars, because the scholars are the ones who have what is contradictory to the apparent meanings of the Qur'an and Sunnah and what is contradictory to the fitrah.

However, if you were to ask a layman in a country who is known to promote schools that contradict the way of the Salaf, either a Ash'ari or Maturidi depending on the country; for example you took a layman and asked him concerning the settling above the Throne, he will not recall anything other than what proves the apparent meaning and what he believes in. This is the case except if he approaches one of the scholars who teaches him that the ta'weel of it is such and such, then he will go according to the statement of the scholar.

Thus, we can easily conclude that the average lay Muslim in our Ummah is upon the Aqeedah of the Salaf, because it is the fitrah that every Muslim is born with and raised up upon, unless they are taught otherwise. So as long as they are not taught the false beliefs of the various sects of Bid'ah, no group can claim that they are from other than Ahlus-Sunnah.

A good example we can use is that of the new Muslim. Can any sect claim that a new Muslim who just took his Shahada is an Ash'ari, a Maturidi or a Mu'tazili? Of course not.

Also, ask the millions of Muslims around the world if, is there any among them who believes that Allah is not inside this universe, nor outside it, nor on top of it, nor under it, as the Ash'aris claim. Or are they upon the fitrah that Allah created them with, or is Allah above His creation in a manner befitting His Majesty? You will find that they are upon the fitrah which is firm in their hearts, even if they may hear some of their scholars saying otherwise.

And Allah knows best.