The victory even had some Iraqis - long ruled by another strongman, Saddam Hussein, until his ouster in April by US-led forces - calling for a new leader in Schwarzenegger's mould.

Gym owner Sabah Mehdi's snap decision to change the name of his downtown Baghdad training facility from 'Elegant Bodies' to 'The Arnold Classic' shone the clearest light on the cult-like following Schwarzenegger enjoys in Iraq.

From the man-in-the-street to aspiring bodybuilders sweating to lift weights, Schwarzenegger has long been a near icon in the country.

His musclebound image hangs above the front door of Mehdi's gymnasium, but posters of Schwarzenegger's sculpted body going back to the 1970s adorn not only gyms but shops, restaurants and petrol stations.

His appeal has survived unscathed wars waged by the United States on Iraq, making him the envy of American policymakers in their own uphill efforts to win the hearts and minds of Iraqis.

"Before anything he is a champion.

He is above anything," Mehdi told Reuters at his gym, where the country's top weightlifters and other athletes have long trained.

"We need a strongman, a leader like him, in our country at this moment".

- Nampa-Reuters

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