The role of the elite athletes in changing the mental image of Arabs and Muslims among the western societies

الملخص EN

The research problem is determined in examining the role of theglobal soccer player Mohamed Salah as an elite athlete in changing the mental image of Arand Muslims in the British and American societies.

The study is based on the survey methodology and the questionnaire applying to 79 students and academics in the British and American universities from April 2018 to June 2019.

The study showed that player Mohamed Salah has a role in changing the mental image of Arand Muslims moderately.

It assured the importance of the soft power in correcting the bad image of Arand Muslims and persuading others to change their negative impressions without force or coercion.

There are statistically significant differences in the audience's attitudes towards the role of Mohamed Salah in changing the mental image of Arand Muslims according to their demographic characteristics (gender, age, religion, and nationality), in addition to a significant relationship between the respondents perception of the credibility of media content about Arand Muslims and their mental image of them.