Poll: Muslim support for Bashir shaky

WASHINGTON, July 15 (UPI) -- Public opinion in Muslim nations and Africa supports the controversial indictment of Sudan's president, a poll released Wednesday indicates.

The survey conducted in seven nations with majority Muslim populations found that four of those nations favored the indictment of Omar Hassan al-Bashir filed by the International Criminal Court over Sudan's tactics in Darfur.

Bashir's indictment for war crimes and crimes against humanity and accompanying arrest warrant has been condemned by the African Union, Arab League and Organization of the Islamic Conference.

The WorldPublicOpinion.org poll determined 77 percent of Kenyans and 71 percent of Nigerians backed the indictment, as did 51 percent of Turks. Pakistan was split with 39 percent in favor of the indictment and 32 percent against.

Bashir found more support in the Palestinian territories where 70 percent opposed the court's actions. About 52 percent of Egypt's population opposed the indictment. Iraqis were split with 37 percent opposed and 35 percent in favor of the charges.

"This suggests that leaders of some majority Muslim and African nations, in denouncing the indictment of President Bashir, are out of step with their people," Steven Kull, director of the U.S. organization WorldPublicOpinion.org, said in a written statement.

The poll was carried out April 25-June 6 in seven nations. There were 6,055 respondents and the margin of error in each country ranged from 3 to 4.5 percentage points.