A recent poll was conducted by the Electronic Center for Public Opinion about which countries Egyptians consider as friends or enemies. While any poll in a dictatorship must be viewed with suspicion as it is only natural for people to be afraid of stating their opinions, this poll gave an interesting result.
As expected Saudi Arabia was the No. 1 friend in the eyes of Egyptians with 88% considering it a friendly nation. It was followed by Sudan, Palestine, Jordan and Lebanon.
In the non Arab countries Japan led with 58% followed by China.
The 2 most interesting numbers were those of Iran and Israel. Only 44% viewed Iran as a friend. This is a surprise after all the rhetoric lately and the worming of relations. It might have to do with the Sunni Shiite divide or with Iran’s handling of the Sadat’s murderer issue.
The other great surprise is that related to Israel. 56% viewed Israel as a great enemy and 22% viewed it as an enemy. The total is 78%. Israel led the list of countries that are viewed negatively by Egyptians. That is no surprise. Whether through the education books or the media, Egyptians have many stories to explain their hatred to Israel.
The real surprise however is that 22% of Egyptians do not view Israel as enemy. While people might argue that Christians are less likely than Muslims to have strong feelings of animosity towards Israel, the number exceeds any estimation of the Christian population in Egypt.
People in Israel should not open their champagne bottles yet, but it is an interesting number to watch.
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