Obama's Reconciliatory Address Satisfies All, Now It's Time for Deeds
Sunday, June 14, 2009
After his positions were eagerly awaited since he took office, US President Barack Obama came to Cairo to deliver his awaited speech to the Muslim world.
He was eager to assume a conciliatory tone and satisfy all parties. It also seemed clear to all, though, that words were now expected to be turned into deeds.
In his speech yesterday at Cairo University, Obama talked about seven issues; religious extremism, the Arab-Israeli conflict, the Iran nuclear issue, democracy, religious freedoms, women's rights and economic development.
He affirmed he wanted a new beginning between America and Muslims. He stressed the need to end the cycle of skepticism between the United States and Islam and to build confidence between the two sides.
He cautioned that change would not happen overnight, and that one speech was not enough to erase all the years of mistrust between his country and Muslims, putting the stress on mutual respect and joint action with the Islamic world.
He stressed that America would not be at war with Islam, and said he rejected extremism and the killing of women and children. He also quoted the Koranic verse "if any one slew a person - unless it be for murder or for spreading mischief in the land- it would be as if he slew the whole people."
"The interests we share as human beings are far more powerful than the forces that drive us apart … I'm a Christian. But my father came from a Kenyan family that includes generations of Muslims."
He then affirmed that Islam and his buildings, such as Al-Azhar, paved the way for Europe's renaissance.
He praised the innovations made by the Islamic world, stressing that Islam demonstrated through the centuries the spirit of religious tolerance and racial equality.
Concerning the Palestinian Cause, he stressed that the only solution in the Middle East is to meet the aspirations of the two parties through two states where the Israelis and the Palestinians could live in peace and security.
He stressed the right of both Israel and the Palestinians to exist, and said that Israel had to recognize that the right of the Palestinians to exist could not be denied.
With regard to Iraq, Obama said: "I have made it clear to the Iraqi people that we pursue no basis and no claim on their territory or resources. Iraq's sovereignty is its own. And that's why I ordered the removal of our combat brigades by next August.
That is why we will honor our agreement with Iraq's democratically-elected government to remove combat troops from Iraqi cities by July and to remove all of our troops from Iraq by 2011."
The US President affirmed that the dispute with Iran over its nuclear program had reached a critical juncture, explaining that the United States wanted to make progress without conditions and on the basis of mutual respect with Iran.
He was eager to assume a conciliatory tone and satisfy all parties. It also seemed clear to all, though, that words were now expected to be turned into deeds.
In his speech yesterday at Cairo University, Obama talked about seven issues; religious extremism, the Arab-Israeli conflict, the Iran nuclear issue, democracy, religious freedoms, women's rights and economic development.
He affirmed he wanted a new beginning between America and Muslims. He stressed the need to end the cycle of skepticism between the United States and Islam and to build confidence between the two sides.
He cautioned that change would not happen overnight, and that one speech was not enough to erase all the years of mistrust between his country and Muslims, putting the stress on mutual respect and joint action with the Islamic world.
He stressed that America would not be at war with Islam, and said he rejected extremism and the killing of women and children. He also quoted the Koranic verse "if any one slew a person - unless it be for murder or for spreading mischief in the land- it would be as if he slew the whole people."
"The interests we share as human beings are far more powerful than the forces that drive us apart … I'm a Christian. But my father came from a Kenyan family that includes generations of Muslims."
He then affirmed that Islam and his buildings, such as Al-Azhar, paved the way for Europe's renaissance.
He praised the innovations made by the Islamic world, stressing that Islam demonstrated through the centuries the spirit of religious tolerance and racial equality.
Concerning the Palestinian Cause, he stressed that the only solution in the Middle East is to meet the aspirations of the two parties through two states where the Israelis and the Palestinians could live in peace and security.
He stressed the right of both Israel and the Palestinians to exist, and said that Israel had to recognize that the right of the Palestinians to exist could not be denied.
With regard to Iraq, Obama said: "I have made it clear to the Iraqi people that we pursue no basis and no claim on their territory or resources. Iraq's sovereignty is its own. And that's why I ordered the removal of our combat brigades by next August.
That is why we will honor our agreement with Iraq's democratically-elected government to remove combat troops from Iraqi cities by July and to remove all of our troops from Iraq by 2011."
The US President affirmed that the dispute with Iran over its nuclear program had reached a critical juncture, explaining that the United States wanted to make progress without conditions and on the basis of mutual respect with Iran.
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