A poll of Cairo and Alexandria newspaper readers shows that over 70% of people believe that the Jews run the Egyptian media.

Dr. Muhammad Brunuj of the prestigious Institute for the Public Polls, said that when unpopular news is printed in the country’s newspapers, most Egyptians believe it is an Israeli plot to dampen the nation’s spirits.

“It’s odd,” mused Dr. Brunuj in a telephone interview. “This is an Arab country. Why would people think Jews were running the media here?”

Egypt is one the largest Arab countries in the Middle East, and is often seen as the cultural bellweather for much of the region. Many films and programs are often exported to other Middle Eastern countries in the Egyptian dialect, enhancing the nation’s prestige and influence.

The group most likely to believe that the Jews were running Egyptian media were young people aged 18-28. One respondent said, “Well, we keep hearing from everybody how the Jews run the media. Why shouldn’t they run the media here in Egypt as well?”

Another respondent stated: “I knew something was up when the newspapers like Al-Ahram stopped putting the word ‘Israel’ in quotes. Now they use the word like it’s a normal country. We all know it’s not. They no longer say ‘Occupied Palestine’ either. It’s just plain ‘Israel.’ What more proof do you need?”

More than few individuals in the Middle East believe that the Al-Jazeerah network (best known for airing messages from the still uncaught Osama bin Laden) is actually an Israeli front. And there is still the longstanding theory that the attacks of 11 September were actually carried out by the Mossad. These true believers cite the alleged absence of 4,000 Jews from work that day, having been ostensibly warned not to show up for work at the World Trade Center.

“You have to understand that the societies of the Middle East are very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very conspiracy-oriented,” Dr. Brunuj said. “When the slightest thing goes wrong, it’s typically a Zionist plot. But the results of this poll is enough to make me want to shoot myself. The upshot is it’ll be blamed on the Zionists.”

The Egyptian government had no comment.