Obama's Muslim Message

Shortly before President Obama spoke in Cairo, a pair of polling outfits took the pulse of the American and Egyptian publics. First, the U.S.:

Just 28% of U.S. voters think America’s relationship with the Muslim world will be better a year from today.

Twenty-one percent (21%) say that relationship will be worse 12 months from now, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. A plurality of voters (45%) expects it to be about the same.

Democrats are more confident than Republicans and voters not affiliated with either major party that the president’s outreach efforts and his recent stressing of his Muslim roots will lessen tensions between the United States and the Muslim world.

Meanwhile, World Public Opinion took the pulse of Egyptians:

Asked how much confidence they have in Obama to do the right thing in international affairs, 39 percent say they have some or a lot of confidence--up sharply from the 8 percent who viewed George W. Bush positively in January 2008. Views of the United States government have also improved with favorable views rising to 46 percent from 27 percent in an August 2008 WorldPublicOpinion.org poll.

However, there has been little change in the views of US foreign policy. Sixty-seven percent say that the US plays a negative role in the world.

Large majorities continue to believe the US has goals to weaken and divide the Islamic world (76%) and control Middle East oil (80%). Eight in 10 say the US is seeking to impose American culture on Muslim countries (80%). Six in ten say it is not a goal of the US to create a Palestinian state. These numbers are virtually unchanged from 2008.

Looks like the president has his work cut out for him.

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Photo credit: AP Photo