American public opinion, according to Rasmussen Reports , has become increasingly skeptical of the "Arab Spring" and favors a hands-off approach. Of those polled, 57% feel the US should leave the situation in Egypt alone, while only 18% think the US should get more involved in the Egyptian crisis. Findings are roughly similar to polls about American policy in the Islamic world: 58% believe the US should stay out of it whereas only 26% believe the US should encourage democracy in the Islamic world. The attitudes on Egypt show a reversal in the attitude towards developments in Egypt. Only 12% of the voters feel that post-Mubarak Egypt represents an improvement as compared with 37% who feel that Egypt has taken a turn for the worst. In February 2011, more Americans (29%) viewed the events in Egypt as positive over those who feared that matters had deteriorated (20%). The proportion of Americans who consider Egypt to be an ally rather than an enemy has declined drastically. If under Mubarak, 42% viewed Egypt as an American ally, only 14% do so now. The victory of a Moslem Brotherhood candidate, Mohammed Morsi, in the presidential elections and his rapid consolidation of power have dashed American hopes of a change for more democratic procedures. The Islamists are fast tracking an Egyptian Constitution that empowers Islam and the Muslim sharia law. The negotiations over its clauses in the Constituent Assembly were boycotted by liberals and Christians. The courts are threatening to dissolve the assembly on Sunday, so the vote was moved up to Thursday to outsmart them. But the Egyptian judges are not exactly paragons of civil liberties either. An Egyptian court has sentenced those responsible for the puerile movie, The Innocence of the Moslems, to death in absentia for defaming Islam. If every stupid film deserved the death sentence, death rows would be overflowing.
