How Obama is Viewed in Egypt

I recently noted some small signs suggesting that China's Muslims seem to be decidedly unimpressed by our fine young president. Now comes news of a poll in Egypt that confirms Obama's low status among Muslims.

First the good news: U.S. President Barack Obama is more than twice as popular in Egypt as Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadenijad. 

Now, the bad news: the American president's standing has never been worse in Egypt, plummeting since 2008, when he received a 25 percent favorability rating, to 12 percent in 2011.  Even Osama Bin Laden, the late al Qaeda leader, was more popular this year, with a 21 percent favorability ranking. The Iranian leader fared worse, dropping from 21 percent favorability rating in 2008 to a miserable 5 percent.

The findings are drawn from a public poll of Egyptian views in the aftermath of the public uprising that brought about the resignation of Egypt's fallen leader Hosni Mubarak. The poll was commissioned by the International Peace Institute, a New York-based think tank with close ties to the United Nations and Arab governments.

Read it here.


But, ...but, ...but wasn't the election of Obama and his much touted Cairo speech supposed to have repaired American relations with the Islamic world? At least, that's what the "experts" in the press told us time and again. Were they being cynically deceptive, or does their ignorance run that deep?