Totalitarian Popularity Contest

Who's the most popular leader in Dar al Islam? According to Pew (the pollster, not Pepe le, the cartoon skunk) that distinction is reserved for one man and one man alone.  From Arab News:

RIYADH: The selection of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah as the most popular leader in the Islamic world has been welcomed throughout the Kingdom.


The poll was conducted last year by the US-based Pew Research Center but the results were only released this week.

Vast majorities of respondents in the Arab world, including Jordan (92 percent) and Egypt (83 percent), said they believed King Abdullah would take the most appropriate stances in global affairs. The king received quite positive ratings outside the Middle East as well, especially in the predominantly Muslim nations of Pakistan (64 percent) and Indonesia (61 percent).

Commenting on the poll, President of the Human Rights Commission Bandar Al-Iban said the result was no surprise and confirmed his leading role in the region. “The majority of those who took part in the poll said they have confidence that King Abdullah will do the right thing in world affairs, which is a natural result of his efforts and initiatives on various levels to establish prosperity for all mankind,” Al-Iban said.

He added that the poll confirms the trust of the international community, the Muslim world in particular, in his leadership and his sincere endeavors to strengthen the values of justice, equality and freedom and maintain human rights.

According to Al-Iban, the king’s efforts in bridging the gaps, achieving Arab solidarity and overcoming disputes, and his policies are what enhanced the Kingdom’s leading position and active role on both a regional and global scale.

The Pew Research Center, known for its neutrality and accuracy, placed King Abdullah first in a similar 2007 poll...

Tee hee. I know I can always count on finding something in Arab News to make me giggle. Why, Abdullah's leadership and his sincere endeavors to strengthen the values of justice, equality and freedom and maintain human rights make him sound like a veritable Jennifer Lynch, ruler of another sort of kingdom, er, queendom.