A WorldPublicOpinion.org poll of residents in seven Muslim countries found a surprising degree of public sentiment in favor of the International Criminal Court's indictment of Sudanese President Ahmad al-Bashir for war crimes and crimes against humanity for his actions in Darfur.

While the African Union, the Arab League and the Organization of the Islamic Conference rejected the indictment and refused to arrest the president if he ever visited one of their countries (part of the condition of the indictment was that Bashir be arrested if he left Sudan), the leaders of such organizations may not reflect the view at the grass roots, said Stephen Kull, director of WorldPublicOpinion.org:

In the countries where a plurality of those surveyed approved of the indictment, the support wasn't necessarily overwhelming. Only in Kenya and Nigeria was the approval rate more than 70 percent. In Turkey the result was 51 percent in favor and 22 percent against, and in Pakistan it was 39 percent to 32 percent. Meanwhile, respondents in Egypt and Iraq disapproved by a narrow margin. Only in the Palestinian Territories did respondents overwhelmingly oppose the ICC's action

After the ICC announced the indictment of Bashir in March 2009, the African Union opened fire against the court, saying that it seeks punishment only against the African continent. African leaders also asked why their countries were so often in the ICC's cross-hairs. Bashir argued that the indictment was purely political, and pushed out foreign aid groups after the March announcement. In fact, at this month's African Union summit, the leaders again rejected ICC's call for Bashir's arrest and Libyan President Moammar Gadhafi said the ICC represented "new world terrorism."

Such harsh reaction makes this poll's results all the more surprising, as residents of the African nations were found to be the ones most in favor of the indictment. Surveys like this make me doubt the representativeness and multilateral nature of such organizations as the African Union and the Arab League, whose purpose is to accurately represent the needs and sentiments of their people.

Read the poll here.

Photo: Sudanese President Omar el-Bashir arrives at an African Union summit in Sirte, Libya on July 2. Credit: AP Photo / Abdel Magid al Fergany.

In anticipation of the upcoming Senate Judiciary Committee endurance test to be faced by President Obama's Supreme Court pick, the editorial board has some advice. To spare everyone involved the Bork-era partisanship, "inane" questions such as whether "the opposite of being dead is being alive?"  (which was posed to John Roberts) and flat-out unbelievable answers  -- Clarence Thomas saying he'd never though much about Roe v. Wade-- the Times editotial board offers some guidelines. It starts by deferring to the president (but not acquiescing).  The board, however,  is far from siding with the president on his recent decision to withhold photos of detainees being tortured.

Over in Op-Ed, contributing editor D.J. Waldie warns that neighborhods will suffer if Sacramento forces already struggling cities and counties to loan the state 8% of their property tax revenue. Meghan Daum ruminates on children's author Judy Blume and how her message urging donations to Planned Parenthood for Mother's Day kicked off a controversy with abortion foes. Rounding out the page, Lori Pottinger of the environmental group International Rivers says U.S. efforts to help Ethiopia would be better spent on climate change adaptation and anti-drought measures than a poorly planned dam.

A couple of decades ago, the trend in Western medicine was to discourage parents from having their newborn sons' penises circumcised, a dramatic turnaround from the trend of a couple of millennia ago. But trend cycles have a way of speeding up, and we're already back to doctors saying biblical Abraham might have had the right idea after all, though he undertook the procedure at a more advanced age.

A new study in the New England Journal of Medicine finds that circumcision is associated with dramatically reduced rates of the virus that causes genital warts, the virus that causes cervical cancer in women, and syphilis. This comes on top of findings a couple of years ago that circumcision appeared to have a protective effect against HIV infection. reducing infection rates in males by up to 60%.

As a result, some doctors are calling for circumcision as a public health measure. Knowing doctors, though, and the rate at which medical advice changes (Did wine end up being good or bad for us in the latest round?), males with uncertain sentiments on the subject will likely want to hold off before making radical anatomical modifications. It's a lot easier to eat more garlic -- or give up garlic -- than to undo genital surgery.

Photo: A mohel, who performs Jewish ritual circumcisions, with a client. Credit: Handout from Rabbi Jacob Shechet

Why does this look so familiar? Somalia is showing all the signs of being a budding Afghanistan, the editorial board warns, with Al Qaeda strengthening its position there and young American men disappearing from their Midwestern towns to train in terrorist camps. The United States has learned what doesn't work to fix or prevent failed states like Somalia; now it needs to learn what does.

Years after the shocking brutality of its civil war, El Salvador now moves toward an election that could transfer power peacefully from the more right-wing party to a candidate who identifies himself as left of center. But an ugly campaign is leading to concerns about election fraud, and the editorial board encourages the country to hold a free and fair election, and an honest tally afterward.

On the other side of the fold, Erin Aubry Kaplan recalls her sometimes uncomfortable -- and often worthwhile -- experiences with school integration and notes the white flight from public schools that makes her childhood school segregated once again -- this time made up of mostly black and Latino students:

Later groups of kids bused from my neighborhood had no opportunity for true integration because white students didn't stick around for it. Today, Loyola Village Elementary still sits in a largely white neighborhood, but less than 20% of the student body is white. More than 75% is black and Latino. Westchester High down the street is the most heavily black high school in the Los Angeles Unified School District .

That strange equation -- white neighborhood, black and brown school -- has become common in L.A. Call it educational flight. Students of color flee from inferior schools, only to see white students at their new schools flee from them.

Also on the Op-Ed page, Joel Stein searches everywhere for someone to blame for the economy. But author Frederic Morton argues that the responsibility falls not so much on a person, but on American culture's adoration of the exceptional -- the most, the first, the biggest -- and calls for an era of admiring moderation.

In other words, a dweller in the land content with the possible falls short of America's spirit; he fails his country's stern, norm-shattering exceptionalism. The map of your truly American life charts a freeway leading from a log cabin, literal or figurative, to the White House, literal or figurative (that is, to the movie icon's aerie or the billionaire's topiary garden). No intermediate destination is recorded on this map; no speed limit, no rest stop, no side roads, not even a space for getting out to enjoy the scenery.

Illustration: Lisa Benson/Washington Post Writers Group

In today's opinion pages, the editorial board calls on Barack Obama (and Hillary Clinton) to stay on the road toward dialogue with Iran, perhaps with an assist from Russia; and to play ball with the nations of the world, misguided as they may be, as they take up a draft document at the "Durban II" conference in Geneva.

To be sure, the draft document reportedly contains provisions that no freedom- or peace-loving nation could possibly support. Not only does it make outrageous allegations about Israeli "apartheid," but it seeks to equate "defamation of religions" with human rights abuses. This is a reprehensible attempt by Muslim nations to restrict speech in the free world by condemning depictions of Muhammad or any other expression they find offensive.

The point, the board says, is that the U.S. could be more constructive by showing up. sticking to its principles and shaping the final consensus document.

The board also gives Atty. Gen. Eric H. Holder Jr. a, uh, high five for vowing not to raid medical marijuana dispensaries, but notes that this falls short of resolving the relationship between the federal drug laws and California's legalization of the use of medical marijuana.

On the Op-Ed page, Barbie turns 50. Novelist Amy Goldman Koss reflects on her childhood version of the doll, with its short hair and missing foot.

Columnist Gregory Rodriguez examines the link between recession (joblessness) and social networking(job offers). And, come to think of it, the clear relationship between layoffs and LinkedIn.And screenwriter Toni Ann Johnson continues the "Postcards from the Recession" series. Today's postcard is from Morningside Circle in South Los Angeles.

Folks here have always known how to get by in tough times. They grow fruit trees and vegetable gardens, clip coupons, re-sole shoes and repair clothing. They save on gasoline at Costco and find bargains at the dollar store. Most will live through the recession the way they've been living -- within their means.

Johnson's postcard follows up Sunday's by Susan Straight from the Inland Empire. Tomorrow: Silver Lake.

Photo: Timothy A. Clary / AFP / Getty Images

The editorial board finds intriguing an idea raised about Proposition 8 during Thursday's state Supreme Court hearing: Having the state recognize only civil unions, while couples take their marriage vows at the religious or other private institution of their choice.

But just as marriage and family traditions have altered dramatically -- with shorter and more frequent marriages in a lifetime, couples living outside the married state and prenuptial agreements that trump customary family agreements -- it is time to consider an altered state role in domestic legalities. Justice Chin opened the discussion, and it is worth continuing.

The board also says the economy isn't a good reason to deny California a clean-air waiver to regulate greenhouse gases. In fact, the board says, Detroit will ultimately benefit from the production of more fuel-efficient cars. The board also calls on the world community to stand behind the International Criminal Court's warrant for the arrest of Sudanese President Omar Hassan Ahmed Bashir on charges of war crimes related to the atrocities in Darfur.

On the other side of the fold, writer Joe Queenan tells the investment experts to pipe down about the long-term value of stocks; this is indeed the time to panic. And columnist Joel Stein fantastizes about the up side of unemployment.

Illustration: Randall Enos for the Times

The editorial board continues to parse President Obama's budget intentions, noting that though his blueprint is indeed transparent about the costs of the Iraq war, it is less forthright about the probably near-term future of the economy. The board also bemoans fractured immigration policies that provide residency to some refugees but not others, and sides with a student who gave a religiously-based speech in class about his views against same-sex marriage, after which he allegedly was taken to task by the professor.

As long as he was opposing same-sex marriage on religious grounds -- and not harassing individual students -- he was making an argument that figured prominently in the public debate about Proposition 8. It's not an argument this page finds persuasive, but we wouldn't try to suppress it. Neither should a college preparing students to live in a contentious democracy.

On the other side of the fold, political journalist Marc Cooper chides Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa for his  fuzzy response to questions about whether he will commit to serving out a full second term if he is elected. Take a pass on running for governor and pay full attention to the city's tremendous needs, Cooper advises. And Joel Stein reflects on how everyone loves science, until it contradicts what they want to believe.

People on the far right don't believe in evolution, global warming or doing stem cell research. Most of their opposition is rooted in the fact that these ideas challenge the Bible, which is the oldest book they know. I'm guessing Greek conservatives are OK with killing your dad and making love to your mom.

But since I moved to L.A., I've discovered that liberals hate science just as much as conservatives, and they talk about it a lot more. They'll reject any study that contradicts their Mother-Nature-is-perfect myth, which is oddly similar to the conservatives' thesis."

The Times editorial board is doing cartwheels over President Obama's order that the Environmental Protection Agency reconsider allowing California to set tough auto emissions standards -- but still doesn't think it goes far enough. What's needed now, the board says, is higher gas taxes. On the same theme, we're thrilled that Obama reversed President Bush's ban on funding for foreign-aid groups that perform or even mention abortion, but think congressional action is still needed to ensure the next administration doesn't change course again. And the board is appalled by the Supreme Court majority's decision in an Alabama search-and-seizure case, which will only encourage sloppy record-keeping by police.

Over on the Op-Ed page, Gail Javitt and Kathy Hudson point out that what nearly happened to President Barack Obama during the campaign -- when breakfast leftovers containing traces of his DNA were offered for auction on eBay, meaning deeply private information might have been disclosed to the public -- is becoming an increasingly common problem even for the non-famous, thanks to improvements in DNA analysis technology and the absence of laws on seizure and disclosure of genetic information.

Jean Ross, head of the California Budget Project, decries a Republican proposal to avoid future state budget impasses by putting a hard cap on annual spending. Such caps don't account for cost increases for services like health care or changes in demographics, and would result in permanent, draconian cuts in California services, Ross writes. And David Ambroz, a lawyer who was himself a foster child, is confused by "people who call themselves pro-family yet would prefer to see [foster] children bounce from home to home" than allow them to be raised by gay couples. Several states, most recently Arkansas, ban unmarried couples from serving as foster parents, largely as a way of keeping gays and lesbians out of the system. "Kids shouldn't become pawns in the nation's culture wars," Ambroz concludes.

* Cartoon by Tom Toles / Washington Post

Monday's Los Angeles Times editorial page declares war on the sun. No, not really; but the page wants to know whether the solar energy proposal on the March 3 ballot is the real thing, or just another "Million Trees":

Los Angeles should have an ambitious solar energy plan, and the DWP is right to pursue it, as are the council and the mayor. But because of the slapdash and suspicious way the program has been rolled out, voters need to be on the alert. The city muffed a solar plan a decade ago, and the resulting bad will delayed, until now, a serious second attempt. Voters deserve to know whether they are being asked to sign on to a well-thought-out plan, or just another idea only half-baked by the L.A. sunshine.

The editorial board also finds some common-sense lessons for Barack Obama in the draft report on Iraq reconstruction by the Bush administration's special inspector general, and hopes South Africa's Congress of the People will stave off one-party rule.

Opposite the editorial page, Opinion contributing editor Rob Long discusses Jay Leno, NBC, economic downturn and shipping. Critic Katha Pollitt weighs in on Rick Warren and Obama, calling the president-elect's choice to give the inauguration invocation an insult. Columnist Gregory Rodriguez grapples with Bernard L. Madoff, hate crimes and "affinity fraud."

* Photo by Andrew Gombert / EPA

The Federal Communications Commission needs a makeover--an updated look, or at least attitude, for our time, the editorial board writes. That's especially true of the time and attention it gives to enforcing decency rules:

The FCC also showed an alarming willingness to use government power to impose ineffective and discriminatory decency rules on broadcasters in the name of shielding children from profane or violent programming. More relevant to a bygone era's media environment, such rules reflect how poorly the commissioners seem to understand today's technological realities.

The Obama family hasn't even had time to pick a puppy yet, and already President-elect Barack Obama is confronted with missile threats from Russia. Missile defense threats are rattling their own sabres, but Obama "should not react to the rhetoric from either quarter, but he should reconsider missile defense on its merits -- or lack thereof. The president-elect rightly is skeptical of the defense shield, given that it doesn't yet work and it's intended to defend against nuclear-tipped Iranian missiles that don't yet exist," the board advises.  It also calls on federal immigration authorities to be open about their rules for deportation of detained illegal immigrants and to inform potential deportess of their rights.

On the other side of the fold, Los Angele Unified school board member Tamar Galatzan wants a more consistent system for approving and assessing charter schools:

Charters should not be rewarded for simply out- performing their underachieving LAUSD counterparts. The philosophy of charter schools is based on accountability, and the district must hold them to their promises. Lack of accountability is not uncommon in the school district, but we cannot let it seep into the charter movement as well.

Arguments about the genocide in Rwanda are at the heart of a court case in which the African nation seeks to shake itself free of French influence. And Joel Stein calls for a "No Gays for a Day" day, in which the gay and lesbian community would display its financial clout by staying home from work and shopping.

Illustration by Signe Wilkinson/Philadelphia Daily News