Arab Opinions

Two recent opinion polls held in several major Arab countries proved that the main reason for rising anti-Americanism was opposition to its foreign policy, particularly towards Palestine and Iraq, and not its values or civilisation as repeatedly claimed by US President George W Bush.

In the first poll, which surveyed six Arab nations and was commissioned by the Washington-based Arab American Institute (AAI), the overall approval ratings of the US ranged between an unprecedented low of two per cent in Egypt and a high of 20 per cent in Lebanon. Those holding a favourable view of the US in Saudi Arabia were four per cent, 11 per cent in Morocco, 14 per cent in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and 15 per cent in Jordan. That marked a relatively sharp decline compared to a similar poll held by AAI two years ago, and indicated that the main reason behind the fall was the policies of the present US administration led by the George W Bush.

Both the AAI survey and a second poll held in the same Arab countries on "Arab attitudes towards political and social issues, foreign policy and the media", conducted by Shibley Telhami, Anwar Sadat Chair for Peace and Development at the University of Maryland, and Zogby International, made it clear that these negative attitudes "were driven by Arab anger and frustration with American foreign policy, especially towards what is seen as unbalanced policy in the Palestine-Israel conflict", said AAI director James Zogby.

When asked in the Maryland/Zogby poll: "Would you say that your attitudes towards the United States are based more on American values or on American policy in the Middle East," 86 per cent in Saudi Arabia, 80 per cent in Lebanon, 79 per cent in Morocco, 76 per cent in Jordan and 75 per cent in the UAE blamed American policy. However, Zogby noted that the rising opposition to the US foreign policy has clearly influenced attitudes towards American values and products in places like Saudi Arabia and Lebanon.

The AAI poll also revealed that the issue of America's policy towards Iraq now equals the concern with Washington's policy towards the Palestinians. The Maryland/Zogby poll reflected that a significant majority of Arabs (90 per cent in Saudi Arabia, 84 per cent in Morocco, 82 per cent in the UAE, 71 per cent in Jordan and 64 per cent in Lebanon) do not buy claims by the Bush administration that the Iraq war decreased terrorism towards the US or that it could led to more democracy in the region. Nearly the same percentages believed that the recent so-called transfer of sovereignty in Iraq to a carefully picked government was merely a "cosmetic change" and that it could lead to more chaos. Oil, followed by protecting Israel and domination of the Muslim world topped the list of reasons why Arabs in those countries believe the US has invaded and occupied Iraq in the Maryland/Zogby poll.

Meanwhile, the AAI poll showed that in Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and the UAE, America's treatment of Arabs and Muslims now appears as the most important policy concern. The most commonly noted positive attributes of the US (still only 24 per cent of the total responses in Lebanon and Egypt, 18 per cent in Jordan, 17 per cent in Morocco and just six per cent in Saudi Arabia) are "personal freedom", "opportunity" and American "entertainment" and "products".

When asked, "what should America do to improve its image in the Arab world," the responses repeated the same reasons why the United States was seen as unpopular in the first place. Responses varied between "stop supporting Israel", "change your Middle East policy" and "get out of Iraq". Zogby said that "it was interesting to note that in four of the six countries surveyed, over one-third of the respondents call on the US to adopt what might be referred to as a more "values-driven policy" by showing more respect to the Arab world, applying justice and working for peace.

When factoring in age and gender into the attitudes towards American foreign policy in the six countries, Zogby said that they did not seem to have any significant impact. However, younger respondents seem to have "somewhat more favourable views towards American values and products".

Another aspect examined by the AAI poll was, "how do Arabs know about America," Among the respondents, one in five in Saudi Arabia, Jordan and the UAE have been to the US, while only one in 10 Moroccans and Lebanese have made such visits. Of those who travelled to the US, impressions of the country have been quiet positive, except for Saudis and UAE citizens who reported negatively on their experiences. Zogby said that responses by Saudis and Gulf citizens were largely influenced by the strict entry measures applied against them following the 11 September, 2001 attacks. About four in 10 Jordanians and UAE citizens know Americans, compared to three in 10 Lebanese and Moroccan and one in seven in Saudi. Seventy per cent of respondents in Morocco and 67 per cent in Jordan said they would like to know or meet Americans.

Meanwhile, "seeing or hearing Arab commentaries in the Arab media", is one of the main sources of Arab knowledge of the US. Twenty five-33 per cent of respondents indicated this, except in Saudi Arabia where 66 per cent gave such a response. In Morocco, Jordan and the UAE, 50 per cent said they received their ideas about the US from a combination of books, movies and watching US television.

Another aspect covered by the Maryland/Zogby poll included how citizens in the countries surveyed identify themselves. The number of respondents identifying themselves primarily as Muslims was highest in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, 56 per cent and 66 per cent respectively. Jordanian and Moroccan respondents also identify themselves primarily as Muslims, but with lower numbers. Only in Egypt and Lebanon did respondents identify themselves primarily as citizens of their own country.

Another question asked in the same poll was whether the clergy should play a larger role in politics. Only 28 per cent of Lebanese and 33 per cent of Moroccans felt that the clergy should play a greater role in their countries, compared to 42 per cent in Jordan, 45 per cent in the UAE and 48 per cent in Saudi Arabia. Telhami said he believed that those who favoured a larger role by the clergy mainly thought that this would lead to less corruption in their countries.

When asked whether "women should have to work outside home", the most support came from Jordan and Morocco, with the 38 per cent and 41 per cent respectively. Meanwhile, 40 per cent of Saudis and 14 per cent of Lebanese said they should "never" be allowed to do so. Fifty five per cent in Lebanon, 54 per cent in the UAE, 50 per cent in Jordan, 49 per cent in Morocco and 47 per cent in Saudi Arabia said women should work only if there was an economic necessity.

As for the most popular Arab media and main source of international news, the Qatar-based satellite channel, Al- Jazeera, topped the list, with the highest rating of 62 per cent in Jordan, followed by 54 per cent in Morocco, 46 per cent in the UAE, and 44 per cent in Saudi Arabia and Lebanon. The Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya came in a distant second.

Among the most interesting findings in the Maryland/ Zogby poll, however, was whom the Arabs considered to be the most admired world leader. Telhami said he was personally surprised that late Egyptian President Gamal Abdel- Nasser topped the list, followed by French President Jacques Chirac. Even more surprising, Nasser who died 34 years ago, had a popularity rating of 46 per cent in Saudi Arabia, the conservative oil-rich Gulf state whose rulers were notorious opponents of the nationalist leader in the 1950s and 1960s. As for the most unpopular leaders, there were no surprises: Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon came first by a wide margin, followed by US President George W Bush.