New polling data published by the Pew Foundation indicates that Saudi Arabia – which has been public about floating Cairo economically as the Egyptian military moves to quell a wave of unrest – is building on a strong foundation of good will in Egypt. Field work conducted in March and posted yesterday and analyzed this morning produced eye-popping results:
Even before Saudi Arabia’s recent actions, the Egyptian public had an overwhelmingly positive view of Saudi Arabia. A March Pew Research Center poll found that fully 78% of Egyptians hold a favorable opinion of Saudi Arabia and more than eight-in-ten (84%) express similar sentiments about Saudi King Abdullah. These views have been consistently high in recent years, although favorability toward the Saudi kingdom has decreased by 13 percentage points since 2007, when Pew Research first asked this question in Egypt.
A New York Times report from earlier this week indicates that Saudi Arabia’s support for the Egyptian military is allowing Rihyad to consolidate its popularity, reversing a dip that occurred during the tenure of Egypt’s former Muslim Brotherhood-linked president Mohammed Morsi:
Last year, rioting outside their Cairo embassy forced the Saudis to close it; protesters were angry at the decision to sentence an Egyptian human rights lawyer, Ahmed al-Gezawi, to prison and 300 lashes. The Saudis claim he was a drug smuggler; Mr. Gezawi’s supporters say his lawsuit against King Abdullah, challenging human rights violations against Egyptian guest workers, was the cause of the prosecution.
Now, however, on the issue of financial aid, at least among the sizable anti-Muslim Brotherhood camp, there is plenty of applause for the Saudi stance… “I don’t agree with many things in Saudi Arabia, but the Saudis know that Egypt is their back, their biggest neighbor, and that they should support us when we need support.”
A Washington Post report from earlier this week contextualized Riyhad’s support for the military against the backdrop of Saudi fears that the Muslim Brotherhood will sow regional instability and the growth of extremism.
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