WASHINGTON, September 24, 2005 (IslamOnile.net & News Agencies) - A congressionally mandated panel has concluded that President George Bush is seen in the Arab world as a greater threat than Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, the Washington Post reported on Saturday, September 23.

"America's image and reputation abroad could hardly be worse," the Advisory Committee on Cultural Diplomacy said after a fact-finding mission to the Middle East.

The panel, which advises the secretary of state, also found "deep and abiding anger toward US policies and actions".

It stressed that in much of the world the US is viewed as "less a beacon of hope than a dangerous force to be countered."

The report warned that televised images of the invasion of Iraq reverberate across the Arab media and will "long haunt the image of the United States".

The advisory committee was created by the US Congress in 2004 and charged with advising the secretary of state on how to advance cultural diplomacy.

The committee recommended a series of steps, including increased funding and staffing to promote US culture and ideas.

Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy Karen Hughes, a longtime Bush confident, is already preparing for a "listening tour" of the Middle East.

The purpose of the tour is "starting a conversation with the rest of the world," according to State Department spokesman Sean McCormack.

"In listening," he added "she (Hughes) will also be trying to explain our policies and laying the foundation for the coming years, in terms of our public diplomacy efforts."

But analysts predict that Hughes will face real challenges.

"This is not about feigning sincerity; it's about responding to concerns. We are in a hole too deep," said James J. Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute, told the Washington Post commenting on Hughes's mission.

Radwan A. Masmoudi, president of the Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy, said he found during a recent trip to the region that the level of anti-Americanism is "10 times what it was just a year ago."

Washington's unwavering support for Israel and the invasion-turned-occupation of Iraq have rooted a distrust that Hughes will struggle to counter.

Many believe Hughes faces a "mission impossible" polishing Washington's image.

In her tour, Hughes will visit Egypt, one of Washington's top Arab allies and the second recipient of US aid after Israel.

Mohammed Habib, a leader of the politically banned Muslim Brotherhood, said the US diplomat is facing a "mission impossible, or almost impossible, because Washington has systematically violated all international principles and rights," reported the AFP.

"They invaded Afghanistan under the pretext of the war on terror, occupied Iraq on false allegations that it had weapons of mass destruction and blindly supported the Zionist entity," he added.

Sonallah Ibrahim, a prominent Egyptian writer who rejected a literary prize in 2003 to protest cooperation with Washington and Israel, described the US administration as "corrupt, aggressive and contemptuous of human rights".

"Americans should acknowledge their failure in Iraq, be fair to the Palestinians and end their unconditional support to Israel," he further added.

Ibrahim maintains that "Arab grievances towards Washington are as irreversible as the US position towards the Arab world."