Muslims in the Middle East are increasingly more supportive of Senator John Kerry than they are of George W. Bush, according to an Al-Jazeera phone-in program.
Arab participants calling Minbar Al-Jazeera (The Al-Jazeera Platform) said they preferred Kerry over Bush as the next United States president, according to MENA news. They explained their preference in that they believe Bush is not neutral and that he has backed Israel in its violence towards the Palestinian population.
Some said they believed Kerry would do justice to the Arab cause if he plays the role of mediator in the Middle East peace process.
Recent polls have shown that Muslims and Arabs living in the U.S. are also more supportive of Kerry.
Experts have said Middle Easterners do not see much of a difference between the two candidates because both of them have a similar foreign policy, especially in their supportive attitude towards Israel.
This is a notion often portrayed in election-related caricatures and in editorials in the Arabic press.
However, as the elections loom closer, Muslims in the Middle East are leaning towards Kerry more than to the incumbent president.