Out of all possible conflicts, this one's unpopularity doesn't make as much sense to me. No one in the Arab world at this point (1991) liked Saddam Hussein. Not only that, Iraq invaded Kuwait! One would think that if any time were a just time to intervene in a conflict so as to uphold 2(4) of the UN Charter, this would be it. I completely understand the whole perception of western meddling in M.E. sovereignty, and how this historically fits into that narrative, but any other details would be great.
Ninja edit: Obviously correct me if i'm wrong about any of the above.
This is less a historical question I think, than a social one (I guess both could be intertwined).
The Gulf War was received differently in different Arab countries, not all Arabs had a monolithic opinion on the war. For one, the Kuwaitis and Gulf Arabs were very much in favor of the Gulf War and the international response for obvious reasons.
Also, it has largely to do with the sheer response the international community did against Iraq for occupying Kuwait and their supposed lack of concern and relative response to the plight of the Palestinians and the occupation of their territories by the Israelis. This was the general opinion of the Palestinians at least.
Edit: grammar