Malaysians dislike US President George W Bush more than any other world leader by a huge margin, according to an opinion poll published today.

Bush topped the hate stakes with 54 percent of the vote against 12 percent for second-placed Israeli leader Ariel Sharon and just five percent for ousted Iraqi president Saddam Hussein, the survey showed.

The poll was conducted by the International Islamic University of Malaysia research centre using a random selection of 1,140 people, local media said.

Malaysia is a mainly-Muslim country whose government has been strongly critical of the US-led invasion of Iraq and is a fervent supporter of the Palestinians in their conflict with Israel. - AFP