It cannot be easy to be an unmitigated cynic when it comes to President Barack Obama. His speech to the Muslim world in Cairo was unexceptional because with Obama, the expectation now is that he will continue to raise the extremely high standards that he has already set. He did just that. This speech will be remembered for a number of different things.
Pakistan Welcomes Obama’s ‘New Way’ with Muslim World
The right wing in America calls him an apologist. The extremists in the Muslim world call him soft or rhetoric without action. In actuality, the two are in the same camp now, and President Barack Obama is leading a bus for peace and prosperity. If we achieve peace in the Middle East, there will be peace dividends for all of us, let alone the moral satisfaction of reducing tensions and improving human relations.
During the last eight years, Arabs and Muslims suffered from the painful policies of George W. Bush and his neo-conservative colleagues. Nevertheless, they believe that Obama can fix past mistakes and reshape the relationship between the West and the Muslim world. Many Arab youth believe that Obama has the ability to restore the American image in the Muslim world. Muslim families are looking for a hopeful future to their kids and children and this will not happen without ending the confrontation between civilizations.
Yet, symbols and speeches are not enough. What we can expect from the new President is a change in attitude as well as effective and necessary actions to be taken. Humility is a key factor. In our global age, the United States might still be the most powerful nation in the world but it has not the monopoly of the good and the right. To be open to the world starts by being open to all the civilisations and by acknowledging the potential positive contribution of every religion and culture. Islam is a great civilization and Barack Obama should bring a true and deep message of respect by announcing that we all have to learn from each other and that he will commit himself to spread a better knowledge of cultural and religious diversity in the United States itself. Humility means we all have to learn from one another and Americans should be ready to learn from Islam and the Muslims as well as from the Hindus or the Buddhists. Paradoxically, how Obama intends to deal with education and religious diversity at home will be the true indicator of his real policy towards Islam and the Muslims in the world.
Muslims are waiting for actions and they know from experience (with the U.S. as well as with their own governments) that politicians are good at words. President Obama has a very special status today in the world and especially in the Muslim world. He is one of the only U.S. Presidents who has both the background and the capacity to be more than only a symbol spreading around beautiful rhetoric. It would be sad to lose this historical opportunity and one is hoping he has a vision and a step-by-step efficient strategy for his country and the world. At the international level he should help us to forget that his father was a Muslim by refusing to be shy or apologetic and respect the right of both the individual and the populations in Palestine, in Iraq, and in Afghanistan. The message he is to send to the Muslims should come from a President positioning himself beyond specific color and religious belonging with humility, consistency and respect. While delivering his speech he should make it clear that after many years of deafness in Washington, he has eventually heard them.
Finally, Obama the realist is faced with how to work with authoritarian Arab and Muslim regimes while at the same time support the democratic aspirations of majorities in the Muslim world, as seen increasingly in electoral politics and in calls by secular and mainstream Islamists in Egypt and across the Muslim world for greater power sharing. Will he underscore the responsibility of Arab and Muslim rulers and leaders for developing more democratic societies?
Muslim Americans are largely an immigrant population: Roughly six-in-ten U.S. Muslims ages 18 and over (58%) were born outside the U.S., with origins spread throughout the world. The most common region of origin for Muslim immigrants is South Asia, where one-in-five U.S. Muslims were born, including 9% who were born in Pakistan. An additional 13% of U.S. Muslims were born elsewhere in the Asia-Pacific region (including Iran), 14% in the Middle East or North Africa, and 5% in sub-Saharan Africa.
White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs indicated that Egypt was chosen because "it is a country that in many ways represents the heart of the Arab world."[2] Egypt is considered a key player in the Middle East peace process as well as a major recipient of American military and economic aid. Reuters reporter Ross Colvin reported that the speech would attempt to mend the United States' relations with the Muslim world, which he wrote were "severely damaged" during the presidency of George W. Bush.[1]
After taking office, Obama stated his support for the creation of a Palestinian state and announced that he would engage in negotiations with Iran. He also declared he opposed Israeli settlements and wanted to revive peace talks. In an interview to Al Arabiya, few days after his inauguration, Obama declared: "my job to the Muslim world is to communicate that the Americans are not your enemy."[6][7] "White House Spokesman Robert Gibbs stated he will review particular issues of concern, such as violent extremism and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and he will discuss new areas for partnership going forward that serve the mutual interests of our people."[8] The President had planned to mend America's relationship with the Middle East.
Javier Solana, European Union Common Foreign and Security Policy chief, praised the speech saying "It was a remarkable speech, a speech that without any doubt is going to open a new page in the relation with the Arab-Muslim world and I hope in the problems we have in so many theatres in the region."[43] United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon spoke of "the opening of a new chapter in relations between the United States and the Islamic world".[42] The Vatican also welcomed the speech, saying it "went beyond political formulas, evoking concrete common interests in the name of a common humanity".[46]
Some Arab commentators had a more negative response. Rami Khouri, the editor of The Daily Star and director of the Issam Fares Institute at the American University of Beirut, argued that Obama gave "a lot of good, positive vibes" but, ultimately, it "was only rhetoric". He referred to what he saw as the hypocrisy of Obama praising human rights after meeting with Egyptian and Saudi leaders who have suppressed those same rights. He stated that the Muslim world is still waiting for Obama's words to "translate" into real policy. Al Jazeera bureau chief Abderrahim Foukara made similar remarks, saying, "he talked about Palestinians killing Israelis, but he didn't talk a lot about Israelis killing Palestinians, especially in the context of the latest Israeli war on Gaza." Foukara also said, "he's come to us with his message of peace, but there are U.S. forces in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and there are civilians being killed there by American forces."[53][better source needed]
We are meeting today in the special backdrop of the 70th anniversary of adoption of the Pakistan Resolution, a landmark event in the history of South Asia and a defining moment in our struggle for freedom. The people of Pakistan remember with gratitude the valuable contribution made by the freedom-loving American people to our quest for independence and to forging close ties with our young nation. Consistent with its own values and principles, Pakistan made a conscious choice at the outset to join the free world alliance at a time when sitting on the fence was rightly considered immoral. Pakistan and the United States have since been close friends and allies.
Such a partnership we are convinced is good for Pakistan, good for America, and good for international peace, security, and prosperity. Such a partnership is important because Pakistan is a pivotal state with over 170 million people, rich in human and national endowment, full of huge untapped natural and energy resources awaiting extraction, strategically located at the crossroads of South Asia, Central Asia, and the Middle East, and representing a democratic and moderate voice in the Islamic world. Such a partnership is necessary because Pakistan and the United States have a whole range of convergent interests, including fighting the twin menace of extremism and terrorism, stabilizing Afghanistan, promoting peace and stability in South Asia, linking the economic potential of South and Central Asia, curbing nuclear proliferation, and advancing progress and prosperity in the region and beyond.
When we look only at military options, we become polarized. The responsibilities for our soldiers lives is overwhelming. We must share in that responsibility, as in WWII, but more so. The world has become more connected, and we must all plug in. Let thousands and thousands of civilians go to Afghanistan. We certainly have more than enough unemployed people here in the US who would like to work in humanitarian endeavors. Teachers, accountants, auto workers, constructions workers. This is a way to use our stimulus dollars, not add to the cost of war, and create a tidal wave of good will.....if done properly. We don't go carrying weapons. We go build roads, clean water systems, schools, teach and help with business and health endeavors. The Afghanis can plan what they need, we can make it happen. Many Middle Eastern countries would probably support this type of effort. It is a scale of new proportions, with endless benefits possible. Lets quit sending young men and woment to fight before they have a chance to understand that wars are simply a failure of humanity. If the jihadists want to wipe out a hundred thousand good will workers, I'm willing to die to show the rest of the world. How can I ask a young soldier to do that, if I won't? 2ff7e9595c
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