Saudi Arabians are rooting for Senator Barack Obama to win the upcoming US presidential election because they are convinced he is a Muslim and will champion Arab and Muslim causes, reported Saudi English-language newspaper Arab News on Monday.

Many of the Saudis interviewed by the newspaper said that despite claims to the contrary, Obama's Arabic middle name, Hussein, leaves no doubt in their minds that he is or once was a Muslim.

Obama's father and step-father were both Muslims, and the senator was himself listed as a Muslim while attending grade school in Indonesia.

The Saudis also said that a black president is more likely to be sensitive to their concerns, whereas white presidents always "side with Israel rather than with Muslim countries."

The original report can be read here.