The Arab world on the US elections: 'No hope'
With Trump being marked a racist and Clinton being marked as a successor to the policies of the Obama administration, the Arab world has no reason to be excited about the prospect of four years with either candidate.
When Barack Obama entered the White House, many in the Arab world expected him to repair the rift between the West and Islam. Now, eight years later, the Muslim world looks at the two candidates to replace him with no hope.
Trump launched his campaign with a call to ban Muslims from entering the United States and then dropped another bombshell when he suggested registering Muslims in the US as part of the war on terror, but his opponent Clinton is not viewed as ideal in the Arab world either.
Criticism against Trump and Clinton can be seen in the Arab media and in political cartoons. A look at Arab press shows that regardless of who is elected, there is a belief in the Middle East that both candidates will lead the region to a third world war. Arab media also put an emphasis on the sexual harassment allegations against Trump, Clinton's email scandal, and the fact both candidates are pro-Israel and fight over who loves the Jewish state more.
The Egyptians, for example, prefer Trump given Cairo's bitter experience with Clinton when she served as the secretary of state.
The Saudis were also extremely disappointed with Obama and as such feel very invested in the American elections. On the one hand, they are not overly excited with Clinton, but on the other hand, Trump is also not seen as an good option.
Clinton is not very loved in Iran, but the conservatives in Tehran tend to favor Trump.
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah uses Trump as evidence that the US is the one that created ISIS.
